Knife Ears
by Charcoal Heart
Summary: Naruto thought nothing of it when he bought Sasuke on a whim. Soon enough, the human warrior finds himself involved in more trouble than he thought could ever come from a single elf slave. ::AU, Yaoi NaruSasu, minor KakaSasu, Elf, Master, Slave::
1. Chapter 1

Knife Ears, by Charcoal Heart

Rated M for language, slavery, sex, etc.

NaruSasu

_Naruto went out of his way to buy Sasuke, but the human warrior never expected to fall in love with his elf slave. Sometimes, it has everything to do with who you are._

**A/N:** Hey all! I'm back, and with a new, juicy story this time! I have the plot all set out already, so it'll just be a matter of writing it out and fleshing the story together. Expect lots of trust issues, master-slave dynamics, war, and of course, sex (among other things).

The beginning may seem a tad slow and maybe even a bit boring, but all the juicier bits will soon follow.

Your readership means much to me! Feel free to review, add to your alerts, whatever you'd like. I will appreciate every single action. :)

Enjoy!

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><p>When Naruto stepped into the shop, he crinkled his nose at the overwhelming smell of piss. There was very little light, and the place seemed a tad cooler than the outside. It felt like walking into someone's basement.<p>

He let the door shut behind him, causing all outside light to completely disappear. Precautiously, Naruto went in a little deeper into the shop.

"Well, if it isn't the great Mr. Uzumaki. So delighted to see you here."

A pale man with long, black hair emerged from the shadows, his eyes unnaturally yellowed and snakelike. His tone seemed far too polite. The man put his hands together and rubbed them, as if anticipating easy money from Naruto.

"It would do you well to clean and air out the place once in a while, Orochimaru. Your...inventory would be less susceptible to disease."

Orochimaru's lips curled in a creepy smile, the man's eyes narrowing a bit as he replied, "It doesn't cost much to replace lost inventory, but I will definitely consider your advice. But you must be here for some other reason than to offer me business tips, am I right? What should I do for you today?"

Naruto had turned away from Orochimaru and was looking around the shop. Along the walls, there were cells, cages for the shop's inventory. And although his eyes had adjusted to the dim light settings, he still had trouble seeing far into the cells.

Ignoring Orochimaru for the time being, Naruto walked up to the cells and peered past the bars. Just as he moved closer to get a better look, an arm shot out and long nails scratched Naruto on the cheek.

"Shit!" he cried, startled at the sudden attack.

The shopkeeper shouted, "That's enough from you!"

He walked over and opened the cell of the attacker. The figure inside shrank and backed into the shadows, where Naruto couldn't see him. Orochimaru joined him in the shadows and a sick, deafening scream rang through the shop. The creepy snake-like man emerged from the cell and closed it behind him.

"Ah, I'm very sorry about that, Mr. Uzumaki. Usually they don't misbehave, but this particular one has no sense of obedience. I've been trying to get rid of him for the past month."

Naruto pressed his fingers to his cheek, then inspected them for any signs of blood. When he found none, he replied, "Not to worry. I've seen worse wounds on the battle front."

He peered back into the same cell again, making sure to keep his distance. Squinting hard, Naruto was able to make out a thin figure in the back, sitting up against the wall.

"It's a shame. He's a pretty specimen, but most people don't want him because he's so rowdy," Orochimaru said as Naruto continued to stare into the cell, "It's costing me too much to keep him in there, too. Another week, and he'll probably be put down."

Naruto pressed his lips together in thought, his eyes looming over the figure in the cell.

"Actually," Naruto said as he turned back to Orochimaru, "I can take him off your hands if you'd like, since I assume you're offering him at a discount."

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, only by a fraction of a millimeter, but Naruto noticed it. The blond stepped towards the cell and wrapped his hand around a bar.

"All right. Take him. He's of no use to me, anyway."

Orochimaru opened up the cell again and went back in, disappearing into the darkness momentarily. He came back out, holding onto a leash.

As the figure became illuminated from the still-dim lighting, Naruto's eyes took in a treat.

The way his black hair fell across his eyes. And his stature! There were more than enough reasons to call him a gorgeous specimen. As if Orochimaru had heard his very thoughts, he tutted.

"It's still too bad that he's an elf. If he were a human, there's no doubt he would be of royal blood."

Orochimaru handed the leash over to Naruto, who took a hold of it. However, he approached the elf, who remained still, and undid the collar. It fell to the floor with a clink.

The black-haired elf looked down at the collar seemingly apathetic, his eyes never moving up.

But Naruto knew, despite the lack of reaction from the elf, that he was thankful that the godawful leather piece was off him.

oooOOooo

Naruto walked out of the shop with his newly bought elf trudging behind. The blond male put his hands on his hips and turned to take a good look at him in the sunlight.

The small elf looked decimated, as if he were just a few days from death. Naruto sighed and grabbed a small hand, perhaps a little too roughly, earning himself a hiss and a weak thwack on the hand.

"Don't touch me," the elf seethed.

Despite the obvious coldness from the elf, Naruto paid no attention and reached out - this time more gently - to grab the elf's right hand in his.

"I'm Naruto," the blond man said, "Naruto Uzumaki."

When the elf said nothing, Naruto shrugged, put his hands in his pockets, and walked off. He didn't even bother to turn around to check if the elf was following him or not.

But he heard the light footsteps of the elf behind him, and Naruto smiled to himself as he began to whistle and make his way home with an elf in tow.

oooOOooo

"I'd say make yourself at home, but you're filthy," Naruto said blatantly, "I'll bring you up a bath. Maybe then, after all the dirt's been washed, you won't be in such a miserable mood."

The elf looked around the place, his eyes slightly wider than before. He seemed amazed at the size of Naruto's home, but it was just a normal place for a spectacular warrior.

But Naruto was right. He was absolutely filthy, covered in dirt, and who knows what other substances.

"Can you tell me your name? Or am I going to have to call you "Elf" forever?"

The elf's lip turned upward in a snarl. He followed after Naruto but remained silent.

When they made it to the bathroom, Naruto told the elf to undress while he started up a bath. The elf took his time peeling off the dirty rags, throwing them carelessly on the spotless tiled floor. The steam from the hot water started to spread throughout the enclosed room, and it was only a matter of time before the elf's pale skin started to gain color.

"All right, get in, Elf," Naruto said as he ushered the thin, naked body to the bathtub.

The elf let out a low growl, which rumbled in his chest and vibrated his bones.

"I'm not 'Elf'."

Naruto did not say anything to retaliate, but instead continued to push the elf towards the bath. The blond let him go when the water came terribly close; the elf gingerly dipped a hand in the warm water and, without warning, hopped in, causing some water to flow unexpectedly over the rim of the tub.

Naruto stood there in shock, the front of his clothes soaking wet. The elf gulped as he lowered himself into the water.

But instead of being angry, Naruto raised his eyebrows and let out a hearty chuckle. The elf perked his ears, something he hadn't done in some time; but he had never heard such a deep, throaty, happy sound that wasn't sexual.

"Okay Elf," Naruto said as he grabbed a towel from the shelf, "I'll get you some clothes. I doubt you'll want to wear those dirty things again."

Without another word, Naruto left the room.

The elf looked around calmly for a window. When he found none, he sighed and got out of the tub, not even bothering to towel himself off as he opened the very door Naruto left through. He glanced left, then right, down the halls and, when he found that no one was watching, the elf tiptoed quietly to his right, towards the entrance of the house.

He was just at the front door, his hand on the doorknob, when Naruto called out from behind him.

"Oi, Elf, what're you doing out here?"

The elf let go of the doorknob like it had burned his hand and turned on his heel quickly. He shifted his gaze to Naruto's feet and stood there silently, muddy water dripping off his naked form.

"You're free to leave," Naruto said off-handedly, "but I'm not sure how long you'd be able to roam the streets until you're caught."

Naruto knew he was right, too. In any case, an elf roaming the streets without a master nor a collar was deemed as free to capture. Any elf in their right mind would avoid going back to the shop if he could help it.

"I didn't ask you to buy me," the elf said quietly as he stepped away from the door.

Naruto sighed and stood in front of the small male, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I can return you to Orochimaru's, if you'd like. They'd be willing to take you in again, I'm sure."

Neither one said anything, though they glared at one another with a sort of glint in their eyes; they were definitely not hitting it off easy.

The elf was the first to move. Still dripping wet, he squelched his way past Naruto, back into the bathroom, where he - this time calmly - sat down in the bathtub. The water was still warm, but it had cooled quite a bit since he left it.

After a few minutes, Naruto came back into the bathroom with some clothes and set them onto the shelf. He looked over at the elf, who was still sitting in the tub, still rather filthy. Naruto sighed.

"Did you even bother looking for the soap?" Naruto asked, then added as an insult, "Elf?"

The reaction was immediate. The elf stood up from the tub and lunged toward Naruto, who was standing quite close in the first place. In a matter of seconds, they both landed on the ground with a hard thud, Naruto cushioning most of the elf's fall.

"Stop calling me 'Elf'! My name is Sasuke!"

Naruto, despite having been tackled to the ground and sat on top of by a dirty, naked elf, grinned.

"Sorry Sasuke," Naruto apologized half-heartedly, "I thought I would have to go through the process of naming you myself."

The blond male maneuvered expertly with the elf sitting on his torso and lifted the small body up before setting him back into the tub. He looked down at his newly-changed clothes, which were now dirty and wet yet again. His shoulders came up and fell back down, shrugging off any worries as he rolled up his sleeves.

"Oh well. Let's get you cleaned up first, Sasuke."

Sasuke nearly shrieked when Naruto lathered up the soap bar in his hands and rubbed them all over the small elf's shoulders. The effects of the soap were almost immediate; grime slid off Sasuke's skin, revealing surprisingly pale skin. The elf blushed as Naruto nodded his head and hummed in approval.

Then Naruto moved downwards, cleaning off some of the grime on the elf's chest and back. Sasuke squirmed as they continued to move lower and lower, until they were at his waist. The small male felt his skin flush at the contact and nearly scooted away from those busy hands.

Naruto sat back on his knees; he had been kneeling on the floor the entire time he cleaned Sasuke.

"All right, stand up."

And Sasuke obliged. Without further thought, Naruto rinsed his hands with the tub water, lathered up with soap, and proceeded to rub the elf clean in his lower regions. The entire time, Sasuke shut his eyes tight said not a word, concentrating on keeping his body under control as the gentle, but firm, hands massaged him.

At a particularly rough handling of Sasuke's ball sac, he let out a small, strangled noise from his throat. Naruto's hands stilled, and a wicked grin adorned his bright, tanned face. He hadn't meant to do that, but the reaction he received was amusing.

"Sorry."

The apology was half-hearted, and both Naruto and Sasuke knew it. The elf narrowed his eyes in a mean glare, but his face was heating up faster than he could ever imagine. He threw his hands over his private areas and frowned.

"I can clean myself now."

Naruto shrugged and stood up straight, stretching his long torso as his arms reached upwards.

"Fine with me. Just towel yourself off after you're done and unplug the tub. Clothes are over here. When you're fully dressed, I'll have supper for you."

As he left the bathroom, Sasuke stared hard at the empty doorway and sat back down in the tub slowly. He lathered up the soap and moved his hands over his body, making sure to scrub whatever grime was left on him.

oooOOooo

Naruto sat at the long side of the low-sitting table, his wardrobe changed to a traditional hakama. His right leg was up in an unceremonious pose, his arm balanced lazily on his knee as he held a small cup of sake.

He smiled when Sasuke stopped at the door of the dining room. The spare hakama he had given the elf was really too large for him and hung loosely on his skeletal frame.

Sasuke's gaze was completely fixated on the table with supper sitting on it. Of course he'd be focused on that; the many different foods steamed deliciously on their plates, just waiting to be eaten.

Naruto mused a bit as he looked at Sasuke's renewed appearance. Underneath all that grime, the elf actually had fine skin; it was pale but smooth - as far as he could see. His hair, however, was slightly unruly from lack of care and was a bit too long. But that could be fixed later.

"You look much better," Naruto said as he put his cup onto the table and patted the floor space to the right of him, "Come, sit. I'll bet you're hungry."

Sasuke closed his mouth, realizing that he was shamelessly salivating. So he rubbed his mouth with the sleeve of the hakama, to which Naruto chuckled a bit.

However, when the elf took a step forward, he caught the hem of the hakama with his foot and fell forward. Naruto reached out in a lame attempt to save him, but he was too far from the door to do anything.

"Ouch," Sasuke said simply as he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees.

But without another complaint, he crawled over - the hakama dragging along with and behind him - and promptly took a seat next to his master. His hands pressed together, he closed his eyes in a silent prayer and proceeded to reach for a strip of meat with his bare hands. He hissed when Naruto lightly smacked his hand, interfering with his supper.

"Use chopsticks, not your hands," Naruto said as he picked up his own pair, "You may be an elf, but you're going to be proper mannered, at the very least."

Sasuke watched on as Naruto gripped his chopsticks and masterfully retrieved the very same piece of meat that he had been eyeing. But to his dismay, his master opened his mouth wide and stuffed it into his mouth, sucking on the ends of his wooden chopsticks.

"You've used chopsticks before, right?" Naruto said between chews.

The elf straightened up in his seat and replied - as if offended, "Of course I have!"

To try to prove himself, he picked up the two sticks and positioned them awkwardly between his index finger and thumb. With all his might, he gripped them tightly and scissored them open before hovering towards the small meat plate. He slid one stick underneath a piece of meat and used the other to clamp down. But as he lifted the chopsticks up, the meat fell through the thin sticks and plopped back on to of the other pieces.

Naruto chuckled, and with no further words, wrapped his right arm around the small elf and guided Sasuke's hand with his own.

"Here, try it like this," he said.

The elf watched his hand, amazed when Naruto helped him successfully grab the piece of meat with no problems. But as soon as he let go, the meat fell back onto the plate.

"Practice makes perfect," Naruto assured.

The blond male unwound his arm from Sasuke's body and moved his own hand again, using his chopsticks to transfer the piece of meat onto the rice mound in Sasuke's bowl.

The elf stared hard at the meat and gripped his chopsticks in determination. Like before, he maneuvered the wooden sticks so that one slid underneath the meat. The focus in his eyes seemed unwavering.

But after ten minutes of unsuccessful chopstick work, all of the food had cooled and Sasuke's stomach was grumbling in hunger. Frustrated, he moved his head forward and picked up the meat with his teeth. He sat back and chewed hungrily, salivating extra as the flavors had time to marinate his tongue.

Naruto looked on, and his hearty laugh boomed through the room. Sasuke nearly choked on his saliva; he was so surprised to hear the sudden, happy sound again.

"You'll get it eventually. Here, use these for now. They're much easier than chopsticks."

Opening Sasuke's left hand, Naruto handed over a metal spoon and a metal fork. The elf inspected the utensils, then put aside the chopsticks as he held the spoon in his left and the fork in his right. He reached forward, stabbed another piece of meat from the plate, and ate it with much enthusiasm. With a clumsy left hand, he scooped up some rice into his mouth.

"Have some vegetables," Naruto said as he put some unnamed greens in Sasuke's bowl, "You need to have a proper diet, now that you're out of that place."

Sasuke stared at the boiled vegetables, took a sniff or two, and ate them precariously. Within two chews, he scrunched his nose and frowned at the bitterness. His master laughed once again, then proceeded to eat some of the vegetables himself without cringing, but made sure to chase it down with a tender piece of meat afterward.

But despite the elf's apparent dislike for the taste, he stabbed a limp vegetable, then a piece of meat, and then ate them both in one bite before scooping some rice into his mouth. His cheeks puffed out with the overload of food.

And so it went for the next half hour. They mostly ate in silence, because Sasuke was too preoccupied stuffing his mouth with all the food he had never eaten before.

Naruto finished his meal before Sasuke and was gulping down some warm chicken broth from his now-empty rice bowl. As soon as Sasuke polished off the rest of his rice, the blond ladled some broth from a small crock pot into the empty bowl. The elf looked down at the liquid, which had bits of chicken meat and fat floating around in it.

"Drink. You'll like it, I think," Naruto said as he grinned at Sasuke.

The elf tipped the bowl upward, allowing the broth to flow into his mouth with ease. He paused for a moment or two, smacking his lips and letting the flavor fully settle on his tongue. It was seasoned with a little salt, and the taste of the fat in the broth had him gulping down the rest of the soup. He barely even noticed it spilling out from the bowl, dribbling down his chin.

When he put the bowl down, he realized that Naruto had been watching him the whole time. Sasuke's entire face - and perhaps his body - flushed with embarrassment. He pressed his shiny lips together and ran a tongue over them, tasting the remnants of the broth.

Naruto rested his cheek on his hand, propping his elbow on the table. He smiled, but it only moved a fraction of his muscles as his lips curled upward only slightly.

"Orochimaru didn't feed you much, did he?"

Sasuke froze at the thought of the shopkeeper who had made his life a living hell for the past couple months. He gripped the cloth of the hakama tightly in his fists and stared straight ahead, not really looking at anything that was in front of him.

The blond male noticed his tensing up, and sighed before picking up his sake cup.

"Well, whatever. You don't need to be afraid anymore; you live here now."

But despite his reassurance, Sasuke couldn't be any less afraid. He barely knew his new master, and to be quite frank, he was not so willing to give in so easily to the blond's easygoing demeanor. For all he knew, Naruto could be faking it. He could be a cruel master, who lulled his slaves into a deeply false sense of security before really breaking him in.

It had happened once before, and he was not ready to get his hopes up again.

oooOOooo

Ten minutes after supper, Sasuke had started to feel his body tire from his excessive intake of food. He rubbed his eyes as he yawned; Naruto kept him by his side as he went about cleaning up the dishes on the table. Sasuke helped as much as he could, of course.

By the time the table was cleared and cleaned off, Sasuke's eyes were watery from all the yawning he was doing.

When Naruto guided the sleepy elf to an empty tatami room, the elf half-expected him to jump his bones and ravage him, even against his will. The other elves back in the shop, they had told him horrible things: being forced to have sex with their masters in just the first night, getting beaten if they refused - those were the things that he worried about the most his first night in his new master's home.

The blond had gone over to the wall, slid a well concealed closet open, and brought out a futon. He laid it out, tucked Sasuke in, gave him a kiss on the forehead, and simply left the room. It seemed that Sasuke was given his own room, with his own futon, much to his great surprise.

The elf sat up from the comfortable bundle of sheets, though his body nearly begged him to lie back down and rest his weak muscles. It was strange to be treated as if he were a guest in the house. Hadn't Naruto paid for him? Why was he being almost waited on, like a princess?

For the first time since being captured into slavery, Sasuke was wearing proper clothing that covered all of his body. His belly was comfortably full. He had his own place to sleep, with a comfortable futon, even. His master was, undoubtedly (and so far), a godsend.

But he couldn't think about anything anymore; Sasuke was starting to finally feel all the bodily strain he had accumulated since the time he was sold to Orochimaru. The futon he was sitting on was a welcomed luxury that he had experienced once upon a time, but never in the shop.

As he lied back down and his eyelids fluttered shut, Sasuke could only think that this was, perhaps, the most fortunate he had ever been in his life.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hello again to everybody. I'd like to give a very special thank you to _Dragon77, yamiatemyugi_, and _emery88_. You guys let me know that at least someone cares~ *crocodile tears*

The story is still a bit slow, but it'll be something like a nice, peaceful, cute, romantic(-ish?) story, until _supercrazyshitthathappens_. But until then, try your best to enjoy the vanilla plot. I promise many sweet (and sour) moments in the future. ;)

Oh, and as a note for this chapter: I reference some traditional Japanese clothing and have included little notes for their translations. Let me know if you love them, hate them, prefer them within the story as it is, prefer to have them at the top of the story, at the bottom, etc. But there won't be too many in this chapter (I hope).

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><p>When Sasuke awoke, sunlight was already breaking through the window. He sat up in the futon and realized, for the first time in a long while, that he was well-rested. His limbs weren't stiff, and he didn't have the sniffles from the cool nighttime.<p>

He stretched his body and hummed in content as his joints cracked. After he got up from the futon, Sasuke attempted to clumsily fold the sheets; he had worn his hakama to bed, and was having trouble trying not to trip on the long hem. But he finally put them in order and placed them back into the closet.

Sasuke slid the door to his room open and slipped out with quiet feet as he lifted the extra fabric of the hakama the way a rich, Western woman would to her dress. He moved down the hall towards the dining room which he and Naruto had shared supper; it was the only room, save the bathroom, that he knew around the place.

He peeked into the dining room, but much to his dismay, Naruto was not there. Sasuke moved through the house again, barely making any sound except for the swishing of cloth. He looked into every room, always making sure to tap his knuckles against the wooden frames before sliding the doors open to look inside.

All of the rooms he looked in were empty, and Sasuke found himself at the back of the house, where there was a door that led - he supposed - to the yard. It was a heavy wooden door, but the locks had been undone, so he made his way out without much problem.

The sunlight was even stronger outside; he had to shield his eyes with his hand in order to see anything. When he surveyed the area, Sasuke discovered that the backyard was a small training ground. In one area, there were wooden poles dug into the earth, standing completely upright. The rest of the expanse was empty, the entire space reserved for Naruto.

The blond warrior was holding on to a beautifully crafted steel katana, which gleamed as the sunlight hit its reflective surface. He seemed too absorbed in what he was doing, and didn't even look over to greet Sasuke, who watched on in curiosity.

"Hyaaaahh!" Naruto shouted, causing the elf to jump. With powerful, agile swings, he proceeded to slice, cut, massacre - the curved steel whistling as it cut through the air. As he finished up his series of moves, Naruto stilled his body, resuming his serene position prior to the set. His bright, blue eyes unfocused and glided over to the door. He was surprised when he realized Sasuke had been watching.

And he, who was initially curious as to what his master was doing, was now rushing back into the house, slamming the door behind him and nearly tripping over his long hakama as he ran back into his room. He slid the sliding door shut behind him and clambered into the closet with the futon, into which he proceeded to sit atop the sheets and bring his knees to his chest, hugging himself in fear for his life.

It was only a matter of half a minute that Naruto followed him back into the house. Sasuke shut his eyes and rocked back and forth, saying silent words of prayer. His heart was still pumping so hard, and his entire body was shaking.

Naruto came into Sasuke's room, and the elf held his breath as he heard his master's footsteps on the tatami flooring. Sasuke could barely contain his fear; he let out a dry sob, but slapped his hand over his mouth to stifle the sound.

"Sasuke? Sasuke, come out. I don't have the sword with me. I won't hurt you."

His soothing voice calmed Sasuke's nerves, made him shake a little less than before. But he was still scared of his new master, who he still knew rather little about.

The fact that Naruto was so skillful with swords scared Sasuke to the bone. Decorative weapons were fine with him, but he had never been good with sharp weaponry and very nearly panicked at the sight of a real (and extremely sharp) sword being swung and jabbed like that.

When he didn't respond to Naruto's coaxing, his master sighed and went on, "I'm sorry if I frightened you, but you need to come out, Sasuke. How will you eat if you never come out of that closet?"

Naruto had a point. Sasuke's appetite had been curbed a bit from the fearful sword demonstration, but it was slowly starting to come back. The all-too-familiar gnawing feeling of hunger ate at his stomach, but he was still afraid.

"You sure you don't have the sword with you?" he asked cautiously as he slid the closet open a sliver.

"I promise."

Sasuke took his word for it and slipped out from the closet, his hands still shaking as he slid the door shut behind him. He stared at the floor, not wanting to look up at his master's face; he didn't want him to know just how fearful he was.

"Come on," Naruto said softly as he gestured him to follow, "Let's get some breakfast."

oooOOooo

After a quiet breakfast, Naruto asked Sasuke if he wanted to run some errands with him through town. The elf obliged, but noted that his long hakama would prevent him from traveling too quickly. Naruto tapped his chin thoughtfully as he brought them to his room. He looked in his wardrobe, only to find that all of the hakama he had were much too long for Sasuke.

"Well then, we'll just have to get you some clothes while we're out. Just wear the kimono for now. It's short enough for you, right?"

Naruto undid the hakama to reveal the pretty, navy kimono underneath, the dark color gradating down to a lighter shade of blue at the hem. In truth, he had only worn it a couple times; it had been his late father's back when he was young, so Naruto never had the heart to throw it out. But he was glad Sasuke fit it well, since that particular shade of blue contrasted well with his pale skin. Yes, it was a good choice on Naruto's part.

He paid no attention to Sasuke's pink dusting of his cheeks as he told him to step out of the hakama. Naruto folded the striped fabric and put it away with ease, as if he had done so many times before.

"Here, I'll help you redo the obi," Naruto said. [A/N: The obi is the large decorative belt/bow that you use to cinch the kimono around your waist]

When the blond untied the obi, the light blush on Sasuke's face deepened to a darker shade of pink. The sash underneath the obi still kept the kimono pretty securely in place, but Naruto undid that one as well, grinning as he did so. He knew Sasuke was blushing even deeper now.

But the elf did nothing to stop Naruto, who simply retied the sash.

"Watch carefully," Naruto said as he wrapped the obi around him, noting that he could encircle him three times with the stiff fabric.

Sasuke looked down at the deft hands that folded the obi over, under, this way and that. Naruto had made the bow at the front, and then twisted it around his body so that the bow would sit at his back.

"Okay, that should do it. Let's get you some geta and we'll go, okay?" [A/N: Geta is an informal, wooden sandal usually worn with kimono or yukata]

Before they left the room, Naruto grabbed the small pouch from his nightstand and tucked it in the belt of his hakama. They went to the front of the house and Naruto opened the closet there. When he looked through the shoe cupboards, he realized that none of them were quite small enough for Sasuke.

"Ah," Naruto said as he rubbed the back of his neck, "None of these will fit you. I guess we'll have to get a pair for you first."

Naruto fetched his own pair of geta and tabi socks, put them on, and lifted Sasuke with ease. The elf yelped, then started to protest. But the blond darkened his eyes and frowned at him, successfully shutting him up.

"You're not going out barefoot. The last thing I want is your dirty feet making tracks all over the house when we get back."

That was solid reasoning, so Sasuke had no choice but to let his master carry him out of the house. As they made their way towards the shopping district of the village, more and more people began to stare at them; it was rare for an elf to be in such rich fabrics and to be treated so humanely. Elves following their masters stared on as Naruto pushed through the crowds, who was seemingly unaffected by the masses of eyes following them.

"Master," Sasuke whispered as he turned his face towards Naruto, "please, put me down."

The pleading in his voice was evident, but Naruto would not budge. He held Sasuke tighter and continued on, only stopping when they were inside the clothing shop. Naruto would only put him down then.

Inside the clothing shop, there were shelves upon shelves of fabric ready for custom orders. On the tables, various kimono and yukata were laid out as hands-on displays, and the most expensive ones hung on the wall behind the counter. And along one side of the wall were various types of shoes, ranging from informal shoes like geta to fancier special occasion ones like zori.

"Oh, Naruto! I haven't seen you here in so long! How are you? And who is your friend?"

Naruto grinned as he went over to hug the pink-haired female, who came out from behind the counter to meet him halfway. She stood on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck, and rested her chin on his shoulder. When they let go, she held him at arm's length and looked him over.

"I've been well, Sakura. And this is Sasuke," he replied as he stepped aside to reveal the thin elf still standing at the door.

Sakura smiled as she walked up to him. They were about the same height, but she had more muscles to her name. The difference in mass between them was almost laughable, even.

"I'm Sakura. It's very nice to meet you, Sasuke."

She was hesitant as to whether she should offer her hand, but she just smiled at him instead. Then she noticed the tips of his ears sticking out from his hair, and she realized what he was. Sakura reached out to touch them, but Sasuke flinched and took a step back from her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said as she looked down and a blush formed on her face.

Sasuke said nothing. It wasn't as if he minded her touching him, but initially, anyone wanting to touch him usually meant bad news. For the most part, he was indifferent to her, partially because he didn't know how he should react. Sakura was an entirely new human, who he had yet to know. He wasn't going to let his guard down, even for a second - even if she was a friend of Naruto.

"Don't mind him. He's just not used to humans," Naruto said, then moved on, "We need some new clothes and shoes for Sasuke. He's too small to fit into any of my things."

Sakura's face lit up as she turned back to Naruto. "I have some things that would look great on him. Just give me a second."

Producing a measuring tape out of nowhere, Sakura took rough measurements of Sasuke's shoulders, waist, height, and arm length. She muttered some things to herself and gave him a large smile as she stepped back and gave him a quick look-at.

Sakura then disappeared to the back of the shop, past the silk curtains hanging in the doorway. Naruto looked around the shop, nodding his head when he saw something he particularly liked. Sasuke stood there awkwardly, unsure of what he should do while they waited for Sakura.

"Come here, Sasuke," Naruto said as he waved his hand, "I want to see how this color suits you."

When Sasuke walked over, Naruto held on to his arm and brought it up to meet the fabric of a light green yukata that was decorated in small, embroidered sakura blossoms. The blond male frowned, then let go of the fabric, moving on to the next garment.

They did that for another few minutes. Naruto hummed when he matched good colors with Sasuke's skin, nodding his head to himself.

What Naruto was doing exactly, Sasuke didn't care much. He just looked on as his master did as he wished. They were just looking at clothes, after all.

"I've got a whole variety of kimono and yukata, and some matching hakama, as well. Sasuke has very light skin, so we want to complement that with these colors," Sakura explained as she spread the lot on the counter.

Naruto, with Sasuke's arm still in his hand, walked them over. The colors consisted mostly of deep reds and medium blues. Some were heavily decorated with embroidery, others completely plain. Sasuke liked the blues, but he held his tongue as his master looked over the ten or so kimono and hakama.

"Hm. We'll take them all. And throw in a pair of geta and a pair of zori. Oh, and some tabi, too." [A/N: Tabi are the special toed socks worn with zori, and sometimes geta]

Sasuke nearly sputtered at the sheer amount of money Naruto was spending on him. Never before had he been bought all these rich clothes before. He couldn't - no, he wouldn't - accept them. Not when he was an elf!

"Master," Sasuke said precariously, "I - I dont think I need all of these."

Waving his hand as a dismissal, Naruto ignored Sasuke as he and Sakura made him try on some shoes. They slipped one after the other on his left foot as Sasuke held on to the table with the display kimono.

"Oh, this one looks nice. It'll match most, if not all, of his kimono," Sakura mused as she took the geta off and shoved a zori on, "Oh, but not this one. I don't think it'll do."

Sasuke was at the mercy of the two of them. He stopped fighting Naruto about the extravagant clothes; it didn't make any sense trying to fight with the blond man who chose to listen only when it was convenient.

When they left the shop, Sasuke was wearing the new pair of geta with the socks. Everything else was carefully folded and wrapped in paper and ribbon. There were a few parcels of these, most of which Naruto held. He gave only the zori parcel to Sasuke.

The walk back was not as terribly embarrassing, but there were still many people who stared at Sasuke as they passed. Perhaps some recognized him from before. Or maybe they were judging him for not carrying more than his master. Either way, Sasuke looked at the ground before him, making sure to keep Naruto's back in his vision.

oooOOooo

After they ran around doing random errands and dropped everything off at home, Naruto wanted to go out again. The elf scoffed when his master insisted that visiting the local brothel was an important part of his day. As they made their way towards the small red light district, Sasuke noticed that the streets were more and more suspicious, especially since this part of town was out of the way and hidden from plain view.

When they got to the brothel, which was a large, three-story building, they went inside and his master was almost immediately hauled off by a harem of pretty women, leaving Sasuke alone in the front room with the other waiting elves. He took a seat away from everyone else, finding comfort when no one attempted to talk to him.

All of the other elves stared at him, probably because he was so new to the village; he was sure they had never seen him before. But Sasuke paid no attention to any of them, staring aimlessly at the wall as he pressed his cheek into his hand, propping himself up on the chair's arm rest.

"Hey, you're new around here, aren't you?"

A red-haired female elf stood in front of him, with her arms crossed over her chest. She didn't look particularly threatening, but Sasuke guarded himself all the same, sitting up straight in his seat and looking the other elf dead in the eye.

"So what if I am?" was his answer. Sasuke was already on the defensive, just out of habit.

"Hn. And your master is Naruto Uzumaki?"

Sasuke wasn't sure how she knew his master. Perhaps he was famous in the village, he reasoned. But this elf was getting on his nerves, prodding at business that probably had nothing to do with her. "Yeah. Your point?"

The offensive elf stepped forward, with her arms still crossed. "My master doesn't like your sad excuse of a master. Look at the clothes you're wearing; you're an elf, not a human. It would do for you to learn your place."

Sasuke's thin eyebrow rose in surprise for this elf's audacity to talk to him like that. Most trained elves he had encountered in his life barely spoke to him, for fear of him.

"Tayuya, he didn't do anything to you. Now stop being jealous and stop bothering him," a frail, silver-haired male elf said softly before he went into a coughing fit.

It took a few seconds for Sasuke to realize that the other elf known as Tayuya wasn't wearing anything as luxurious as he was. In fact, she was wearing mere rags, the ones that looked similar to his own when he was with Orochimaru. He noticed that her skin was also covered in a thin layer of dust and grime.

At the thought of his obvious advantage over her, Sasuke smirked and leaned his body on the arm rest. "You are jealous, aren't you?"

Tayuya's face flushed. She pursed her lips and planted her hands on her hips with aggression.

"I'm not jealous," she seethed as she turned her nose up at him, "I'm just saying that it's wrong for you to do what you're doing. Humans aren't supposed to treat their elves nicely. It's not fair."

Sasuke's smirk had long since slipped from his face, but he rolled his eyes at the her melodrama. He said nothing after that, and ignored Tayuya for the rest of the time he was there. She harrumphed at his lack of acknowledgement towards her and stomped back to her seat next to the frail elf. No other elves bothered to talk to him after that.

In another half hour, Naruto came out from behind the bead curtain, with markings of lips and hickeys scattered all over his skin. He looked as if he was in euphoria.

Sasuke stood up to meet his master, who patted him on the shoulder before heading out the door. As Sasuke followed after Naruto, he turned around to see that Tayuya was sending him glares. He winked and turned back around, letting the brothel's door shut behind him as he heard the other elf growling.

Naruto didn't seem to notice the commotion, and whistled a whole tune as they walked home. His face - and entire being - seemed to glow; Sasuke figured it was from the recent release of any sexual tension he had in his loins.

But even without visiting the brothel, the blond male seemed far too optimistic and happy for a human. As far as Sasuke knew, humans were miserable beings who only cared to do things for themselves. Selfish things, he called them.

His master was different. For some odd reason, he didn't always think of himself. And for an even odder reason, he was actually _nice_to him. The idea was almost appalling - at least, to most other humans. Did being an elf not really matter with this man? The question gnawed at Sasuke like a puppy to a bone.

"Master?" Sasuke said, calling Naruto's attention.

Naruto hummed in response.

Sasuke looked over to his master, whose eyes were bright and lips were curled upwards. He wanted to ask Naruto why he was so nice, but then a thought occurred to him: would he get offended? Maybe if he asked, his master would suddenly turn on him and beat him for asking such a stupid question. Maybe if he asked, Naruto would realize that he was being much too soft with his slave.

"Ah, it's nothing," Sasuke said quietly.

They continued the rest of the voyage home in silence, and Sasuke listened intently to the sounds of the night - the cackling cicadas, the chirping crickets, and even the croaking bullfrogs from some unseen pond. He hadn't heard the soothing cacophony of nature's sounds in such a long time.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hello, hello! Even with classes started and all, I managed to write up another chapter for you guys! :)

And I feel so honored to receive such wonderful graces from _Harco8059, Gothic Lust, dragonfire04, KatVal, Dragon77 _(yet again! thank you muchly!),_ Azh Hikari, ClayFlowers, and sky6craZe_. I have yet to stop smiling from the amount of love you guys are showing me~

I'm not sure exactly what time period I'm writing in, really. I think it's mostly feudal Japan-like, with some anachronistic twists. So if the out-of-timeliness is bothering you, I'm sorry. I'm trying my best.

This is a transition chapter, so don't expect too much. It's just a bit of _le gasping, _and whatnot. Nothing too major as of yet (until next update)...

Cheers!

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><p>"I'll be back before sundown Sasuke, but don't leave the house unless you absolutely have to, okay? You won't be safe on the streets by yourself."<p>

Sasuke nodded. He knew how lucky he was to have Naruto as a master and didn't want to jeopardize that. Besides, he doubted he was even mentally prepared to face what possible dangers lay beyond the door. Naruto flashed him a smile as he put a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"And Sasuke," Naruto said as he stood closer, almost causing the elf to shrink back, "don't be afraid to do a little housework if you've got the strength, okay? I'll be back soon enough. With dinner, even."

The blond male grinned again and shifted the sword and scabbard at his front, hanging from his waist. Sasuke noticed the hilt was pointing towards the left. He recalled, when he was with his previous master, that every warrior they encountered had their sword's handles pointing towards the right, ready for unsheathing when necessary. The elf very nearly scolded his master for leaving himself vulnerable to attack. The world was not a peaceful place.

"I - I'll try my best, Master," Sasuke stuttered as he looked into Naruto's eyes.

Naruto simply ruffled his hair.

"Well then, I'll be off."

Naruto stepped out the door and through the front gates, pausing only to wave back at Sasuke before heading off to the neighboring village.

"Have a safe trip," Sasuke said, perhaps too softly for Naruto to hear.

Sasuke continued to watch his master walk down the road, his back getting smaller and smaller until it was just a speck in the distance. As he shut the door behind him, the elf looked around the house. According to Naruto, he had a lot of the day to himself.

It was time he familiarized himself with the house.

oooOOooo

The first hour, Sasuke ran through all the rooms, not even bothering to knock at all - no one else lived in the house, so why bother? He would look at the decorations - if there were any - and would inspect them to great detail.

By the second hour, he had found the cleaning supplies, and was running through dusting everything that had even a bit of dust on them. And though it was difficult to reach some obscure places around, on top, and beneath furniture, Sasuke dusted those areas with enthusiasm.

By the end of the third hour, the wooden floors were cleaned and dried thoroughly. Sasuke walked around with his tabi socks on and slid through the main room at the front of the house and through the halls. On several occasions, he nearly crashed into the sliding paper doors in the hall.

The fourth hour was a resting hour. Sasuke lay sprawled in the front room, reflecting on his life and on his recent luck. He stared hard at the front door, just waiting for his blond master to come barreling through the door with that stupid smile on his face.

But it was still daylight, and Naruto said he wouldn't be back until about sundown.

When Sasuke was through racking his brains, he spent the next couple hours in the room with the shelves upon shelves of leather-bound books, looking through the pages and attempting to absorb every word he could. Normally, elves didn't know how to read or write, but it wasn't as if they were prohibited; their masters never bothered teaching them. But his previous master had taught him for the purpose of scribing his thoughts as he mused them aloud. Conceited bastard.

The books that Sasuke read were nothing like the words his former master would spout. No, these were completely different. The bounded writings told stories, much like the ones he had heard from his mother once upon a time. Voyages of people at sea, adventures of iron-clad heroes trenching death as they faced fire-breathing monsters - some seemed real, while others were completely fake but still enchanting nonetheless.

Sasuke was so engrossed in those faraway worlds that he didn't even notice the steadily darkening room. Where was his master? Hadn't he said he would be back before sundown? He stood up to turn the lights on, stretching and cracking his bones as he did so.

Then he heard a knock at the front door. Knuckles hitting wood rapped even louder as Sasuke approached. He smiled, ready to greet his master.

When he opened the door, Sasuke saw a pink head of hair, but no blond was in sight. It was Sakura, he recognized.

"Sasuke!" she said in surprise, "Has Naruto come back yet?"

He peered out the door, down the road that Naruto took. But there was no sign of him. Sasuke's heart dropped as he turned back to Sakura.

"No, he hasn't. He said he'd be back by sundown though."

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed, and she brought the tips of her fingers up over her mouth - a nervous habit, Sasuke noted. She turned to where Sasuke was looking just moments ago, then back to him.

"I hope he didn't run into any trouble," she said nervously, "Traveling outside the village at nighttime is really dangerous."

Sasuke didn't think that his master would ever be in any trouble. His master seemed far too happy a man to have enemies. The elf went back to staring at the road, as if Naruto would suddenly appear if he were to think about it hard enough.

"You shouldn't be outdoors in the dark, either, Miss Sakura. It's probably less safe for you to be roaming the streets," Sasuke said after he willed himself to tear his eyes away from the road, "Would you like to come in and wait for Master?"

Sakura's eyes lit up, despite her apparent worry for Naruto, and said, "Oh, he trained you well, that Naruto. All right, I'll take your invitation to come in."

They stepped inside and Sasuke shut the door, waiting for Sakura to step out of her zori. She took out a handkerchief and wiped them down quickly before stashing the wet cloth away in her sleeve.

"I can make you tea, if you'd like," Sasuke said as he watched Sakura pad through the house like a curious cat.

"I'd love some," Sakura said as she followed him into the kitchen, "But you know, for all the time I've known Naruto, he's never invited me to his home. I expected him to have his place in shambles, actually."

Sasuke stopped in his steps and Sakura caught herself, nearly bumping into him. The elf turned his head and clenched his hands at his sides, his arms twitching as he attempted to keep his composure.

"It's not your place to speak ill of Master," he said, his voice even.

Naruto had only been his master for a week now, but Sasuke had already become so attached to him. It was hard not to like Naruto, with his contagious optimism and overall happy demeanor. His master was not a bad person. He could not be a bad person.

Sakura's eyes widened at Sasuke's sudden darkening of mood, then she waved her hands in front of her. "I didn't mean to say anything bad about Naruto. It's just that, well, he's so clumsy. There hasn't been a time when he's left the village that he'll come home without at least a scratch on him."

Sasuke glared at her for a moment more, then softened his expression as he relaxed his body. "I apologize, Miss Sakura. Perhaps I jumped too quickly to his defense - not that he needs it from a lowly elf like me."

He turned his head back and continued to the kitchen, knowing that Sakura was still following him.

"No, I did speak badly of Naruto, so I apologize. But you're not some lowly elf, Sasuke. I can tell that Naruto likes you a lot. And you seem to like him quite a bit yourself," Sakura said thoughtfully, "I'm sure he'd be very happy to hear that you were so protective of him while he was away."

In the kitchen, Sasuke prepared a teapot with loose longjing tea, a relatively expensive import from a faraway country accessible only by boat, Naruto told him. He used the large teapot in the cupboard, figuring that it was probably almost time that his master would be coming home. Greeting his master with some hot tea would do Naruto well from a day of traveling.

They went back into the front room, where Sasuke placed the steaming teapot on the low table, atop a plate to prevent the table from absorbing too much heat. He poured Sakura a cup of tea, then one for himself. They sat at the table, and Sasuke watched his cup steam as he waited for it to cool.

Sakura took a sip, and her face cringed from the overwhelming heat before she put her cup down as well. "Ah, I love tea, but I'm always too impatient. I seem to always end up burning my tongue and then I can't taste the tea. Silly of me, huh?"

The elf shook his head a little, disagreeing with Sakura. He knew exactly what impatience was, and he was experiencing it now. Naruto hadn't come home yet, and it was already night. The sun had set and it was very dark outside.

They just sat at the table, waiting for their tea to cool and for Naruto to come home.

oooOOooo

Sasuke woke to a weak knock at the door. He lifted his head from the table, realizing that he had fallen asleep with his body leaning forward and his head resting on his arms. His bones were aching from the uncomfortable sleeping position, but he stood up and went to open the door.

Sakura woke as well as he walked by; she had fallen asleep on the floor, curled up on her side. She got up and rubbed her eyes, yawning as she realized she, too, had slept.

There was a bit of light outside, and Sasuke figured it was just a half hour before sunrise. When he opened the door, Sasuke cried out as Naruto fell forward onto him.

Sasuke was horrified as his new, red kimono soaked up the blood from his master's bleeding shoulder. Naruto was breathing raggedly in his ear, as if it hurt to do so. He felt his master's cheek press into his, and he could feel the blood that was oozing from there, too.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted as she stood up, easing out of her sleepiness quickly, "Naruto, what happened to you?"

Naruto groaned in pain, still leaning heavily on Sasuke. "Sakura..."

Sasuke wanted to bring the blond male inside, but unfortunately, he lacked the strength to lift anything, much less be a person's walking support. He struggled even trying to keep Naruto standing upright.

But Sakura noticed this. She moved forward and relieved Sasuke, moving slowly with Naruto and guiding him inside. Sasuke led them to the master bedroom, then helped Sakura to remove Naruto's hakama and bloodied kimono, which he lay down on the tatami mat.

It didn't even occur to Sasuke that Naruto was barely wearing any clothing. A blush crept on his face, but he fought it down and looked away. He brought a sheet from the closet over and covered the lower half of Naruto's body.

"Sakura," Naruto whispered weakly as his eyes opened a little, "They cut me pretty deep this time. Won't clot."

The pink-haired woman looked around the room, as if trying to look for an idea. She ripped a large piece of cloth from the kimono Naruto was lying on, wrapped it up into a pad of sorts, and pressed it to his shoulder. Naruto hissed in response.

"Naruto, do you have any needles? And some thread. And a match."

Naruto pointed weakly to the table. Sasuke rushed over before Sakura even had to ask him and looked all over the top of the table. He then opened the small wooden box and pricked his finger on a loose needle, not caring the least bit as he took that one out along with some black thread. He also grabbed the matchbox from the table and brought it over. Sakura took the items in one hand, with the other still pressed on the wound.

"You'll have to put pressure on his wound while I work on this," Sakura said as she put the things in her hand in her lap and grabbed Sasuke's hands to put them over Naruto's right shoulder.

She plucked up the needle, threaded it quickly, and heated the point with a match - all within a very, very long minute. Sasuke stared at Sakura working, but then remembered that he should be paying attention to stop his master from bleeding any more. He pressed the cloth down a bit harder, causing Naruto to grunt in pain.

Sasuke could hardly bear seeing his master like this, weak and hurt. Who would ever want to hurt Naruto? He made it a personal mission to find out the perpetrator. No one could get away with harming him, not when he was such a nice person.

"I'll have to suture this quickly, so let go when I tell you, okay Sasuke?"

Sasuke let go when he was told and watched as Sakura sewed Naruto's wound closed. Naruto was already sweating, his entire face and chest covered in hot moisture. His master let out a yell, his left arm scratching the tatami mat. The elf grabbed his hand, hoping to offer some reprieve to his pain. Sasuke winced as Naruto squeezed hard.

Sakura didn't even look up from what she was doing; the needle moved quickly, piercing skin over and over again, bringing the top layers together until the deep red flesh underneath was nowhere to be seen. The black stitches stretched all the way from the top of his right shoulder, then down in a clean slice partway down his pec. Naruto had loosened his grip on Sasuke's hand, but the elf still held on despite the lack of hold.

He kissed the limp hand, praying to the gods that his master would be all right.

"Okay, these cuts seem like they're clotting," Sakura said as she pointed to the six cuts on Naruto's cheeks, "But we need to clean him up. Sasuke, I want you to get me some rags and warm water. Can you do that for me?"

Sasuke, though reluctant to let go of Naruto, was already out the door, rushing into the bathroom to fill up a small round washtub. As he let the water run, he grabbed the face towels from underneath the sink and hauled everything back into the bedroom. Sakura took a towel, soaked it in the warm water, and lightly rubbed it over Naruto's chest.

"Naruto, are you still with us?" Sakura said softly as she dabbed the new stitches.

The blond male had closed his eyes, his eyebrows furrowed in pain. His breathing had evened, but he didn't respond to Sakura when she called to him. She sighed, then discarded the bloody towel to the side as she pressed her two fingers to Naruto's wrist.

"He should be fine," Sakura said with a sigh of relief, "But if you want, I'll stay here with you until he wakes up, in case anything else happens."

Sasuke nodded quickly and immediately; Sakura seemed to know what she was doing, and if she hadn't come by to check up on Naruto... Well, he didn't want to think about that. Not now.

The elf watched as Sakura wiped at the scabs on Naruto's cheeks. There were three on each side of his face, but they were thin and still slightly red as Sakura cleaned the blood off. She began to sniff and rub her nose with her forearm while she continued to wipe Naruto's wounds. Her eyes were beginning to redden, as was the tip of her nose.

With everything calm and Naruto safe in his presence, Sasuke's eyes filled with tears and he cried alongside Sakura.

oooOOooo

Naruto cracked his eyelids open, recognizing the interior of his room. When had he gotten in here? He tried to move, but his body was heavy and his right shoulder burned. With a hiss, he stilled himself and opened his eyes more.

What had happened to him? Ah, right, he had gotten attacked on his way back. Naruto remembered buying some food from a stall in the village, and pulling out a wad of bills to pay for it. With food in hand, he was just about halfway home, in the middle of a deserted field, when a band of petty thieves came out and attacked.

He would have been fine; in a matter of seconds, all but the leader were sprawled on the ground, unconscious. But the leader had sliced him in the shoulder with a dagger when they fought hand-to-hand. The blade had gone in deep. Naruto staggered at the sharp pain and nearly fell over, but the other man held him up as he brought his dagger up to cut his cheeks as well.

"As a symbol of my claim over you," the bastard had said.

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows as everything else became blurry after that. He only vaguely remembered staggering home by himself, vulnerable to further attack. The band of thieves had taken his food, his money pouch, and even his sword.

He was an idiot. Why hadn't he fought with his sword? In times of political unrest, people were more susceptible to leading lives of thievery. Naruto, even if he had killed those men, would have had a reason, if the government inquired.

And he couldn't even recall what the leader of the bandits looked like. Granted the aggressor was wearing a full mask, Naruto still scolded himself for not even noting any small, distinguishing characteristic about him.

The blond male sighed. He turned his head to see Sakura on one side, then turned to see Sasuke on the other. The pink-haired female was lying off on the side, but was facing him with her eyes closed, seemingly in a deep sleep. Sasuke, on the other hand, was pressed flush against him, his breath ghosting over Naruto's arm.

"Master, you're awake," Sasuke said softly and quietly as he sat up.

Naruto attempted to sit up as well, but his elf put his hand on his chest, carefully avoiding the stitches.

"You should rest."

He looked up at Sasuke, whose eyes were puffy and red. Without a doubt, Naruto knew that his elf had cried for him.

Sakura stirred in her sleep, but she sat up immediately and scooted over when she saw that Naruto was awake. Her eyes were red as well, and her hair was a sweaty mess. But he wouldn't dare tell her that.

"Naruto, you're okay," she said with relief.

Despite his injuries, Naruto pressed his lips together. He felt absolutely guilty for having them stress over him.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, Sakura," Naruto whispered, "I'm so sorry that I worried you two."

Sasuke's eyes filled up with tears, and he shut them in an attempt to stop the flow. But they still continued to stream out from the corners of his eyes. Sakura said nothing, watching the two of them interact without interrupting. She knew when she should shut her mouth.

"Be quiet and rest, Master."

Naruto smiled and reached up - with his left hand - to cup Sasuke's cheek. His elf opened his watery eyes, almost unbelieving that he was touching him so tenderly. He closed his eyes again and held onto the larger hand, pressing his lips into the palm.

"Sasuke, please, call me Naruto. Not Master."

Sasuke was crying freely now, not even trying to stem the tears that were continuously falling from his eyes.

"Just as long as you get better, Naruto," he said softly, "Or else I'll call you Master forever."

The blond male laughed, wincing when his shoulder flared with pain. He looked up at Sasuke again, who was staring down at him through wet eyelashes. Naruto smiled and breathed deeply.

"Thank you Sakura, for making sure that, once again, I didn't bleed out my life," Naruto said appreciatively as he turned to his pink-haired friend, "This makes what, seven times?"

Sakura huffed and crossed her arms over her chest as she glared down at him.

"Did you forget how to count? This is the eleventh time, you idiot," Sakura hiccuped angrily, her eyes starting to well up again.

Naruto smiled, then looked up at the ceiling. He knew how lucky he was to have Sakura in his life. And now, there was Sasuke too.

In spite of his injuries, this was the most fortunate he had ever been in his life.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hello, dear readers! Er, before any of you start throwing things at me for my lack of updating, I can explain...with some lame excuses.

As some of you may know, I'm a uni student working hard in her classes. Unfortunately, homework does sometimes trump writing updates, so I kept putting it off until recently. It's rather hard to get back into the writing grind, to churn out chapter after chapter once you've stopped for a break. And, even though I had set out a plot beforehand, I found a small anomaly that caused some rather drastic plot changes. So I've been re-planning this story as well.

I'm sorry if my excuses are lame (I did warn you!).

But anyway, as usual, mucho thanks to _Harco8059_ (again!), _Gothic Lust_ (again!), _operagirl76_, _snlalalandnhreality_, _DaBunneh_, _H1d4nSAN, izzy1229anime_, _Azh Hikari_(again!), _Emirri_, _Winter Cicada_, and _animelee._ I promise I won't ever abandon this story as long as you guys don't abandon me. :B

Here's a helping of developing _sexual desire_, with a dash of cutesy-ness.

_Bon appétit~_

* * *

><p>Sasuke wrung the pink water out of his now-soaked kimono. As he stared hard at the tinted water in the tin tub, shivers prickled up and down his spine. Normally, blood did not faze him, but in this case, the elf was particularly sensitive to any reminder of just how close he was to losing yet another precious person in his life.<p>

It was frightening to think that, in such a short amount of time, Sasuke had already placed much of his trust in Naruto. Perhaps it was partially due to the fact that his master had direct control over his well-being, but even so, he had never before in his life enjoyed a human's presence so much.

Sasuke let go of the delicate material, gripping the edges of the tub as he watched the kimono half float, half sink. Tears pushed their way forward and glossed over his vision.

How close had he been to losing Naruto?

The small, shallow streams from Sasuke's eyes flowed over delicate, fair skin. He sniffed twice, attempted to stem the flow from his nose as well. With a quick swipe of his hand under his nose, Sasuke then pressed the sleeve of his kimono on his eyes, drenching the fabric in seconds. He did not sob out loud, but the uneasy feeling in his stomach would not go away.

"You all right?"

Sasuke jumped, tipping the tub over and spilling the pink water on the dusty ground. The kimono flowed out as well, ending up in a soggy mess a little away from him. He wiped at his wet face hurriedly, then stood to turn to face his ever-proud master.

The blond male had his right shoulder exposed as the top of his kimono was opened loosely. The bloody bandages were enough to make Sasuke feel even more horrid.

"Master, you're awake," Sasuke said as he bowed, breaking his gaze away from the disturbing sight, "Shall I run a bath for you?"

"Please, stop calling me 'Master'," Naruto said as he cringed, "I don't deserve that and neither do you."

Sasuke tilted his head and, with a softer voice, said, "N-Naruto, I'll set up the bath, then."

Picking up the toppled tin tub and kimono off the floor, which was now covered in dirt, the elf scampered back inside while Naruto followed behind slowly.

The elf ran into his room, stashed the tub and kimono there, and bounded into the bathroom with no lost time. Naruto chuckled, but Sasuke ignored this, feeling the back of his neck heat as he tried to recover from calling his master by name so casually.

When Sasuke finished setting up the hot bath, he turned directly to the door and tried to make a beeline exit. However, Naruto stood in his way to prevent him from exiting.

"Where are you going?" Naruto asked, his tone of voice reprimanding "You have to help me bathe."

The bathroom was already warm from the hot tub water, but Sasuke's entire being still got uncomfortably warm. He realized at this point that he would have to see Naruto's body...in all its natural glory.

"Help me with my clothes."

That demand alone made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Sasuke apprehensively approached his master and, with shaking hands, undid the simple knot of his master's kimono belt. Then he removed the draping fabric from Naruto's shoulders, taking care not to get too close to the bundle of bandages.

"And help me take the bandages off, too," Naruto said as he scratched at them.

Sasuke slowly undid the fabric, peeling it off the dried, bloodied wound. His stomach started feeling somewhat queasy, and he swallowed hard as he attempted to look at something else. His dark eyes followed along the muscles on Naruto's body. Relative to that beautifully chiseled body, Sasuke's was nothing like that at all; he lacked any real muscle and any real masculine feature on him, other than the obvious.

He then scolded himself mentally when Naruto cocked his head slightly at him; Sasuke did not realize he had paused in his movements, and was locked in a very intense train of thought. A warm feeling prickled at his skin as he dared not to look up into Naruto's bright, blue eyes.

As the elf threw away the bandages and went to fold the kimono, Naruto went ahead and stepped into the bathtub, letting out a low groan as he sank down into the water.

"Tch. I really hate the asshole that sliced me up," Naruto said bitterly, "I feel like shit."

Sasuke, understanding that his master was not in the best of moods, hurried back over and picked up the wash towel on the rack. He dipped it into the water - his eyes lingering a little too long on Naruto's naked body - and began to scrub the bronze skin clean.

oooOOooo

The fresh bandages wrapped around his shoulder made Naruto sigh in relief. His old, bloody bandages made his (and Sasuke's) stomach queasy.

And now he was getting dressed. Sasuke helped him put his kimono on, slipping his left arm through the first sleeve.

"Thank you, Sasuke. I don't know how I would get anything done without you," Naruto said as he fed his right arm - moving quite slowly as the soreness and pain became more apparent - through the second kimono sleeve.

"You would still be dirty without me, Naruto," Sasuke replied nonchalantly as he carefully tied the obi in the front, "Unless Sakura helped you bathe those other ten times you were attacked."

Naruto remained still and silent as he stared at Sasuke. Despite being an elf, he sure had some chutzpah to say something like that. But, of course, that was exactly what the blond male appreciated about Sasuke; he was helpful and fun to have around.

Then, with a sudden feeling of glee washing over him, Naruto began to laugh. He opened his mouth, and with every last breath in him, let out that particularly hearty sound that made Sasuke stare with wide eyes.

"No, she would never help me bathe, no matter how badly hurt I was. I just waited until I was healed up enough to wash up. Once, I went for a week before I was able to take a bath without crying out in pain," Naruto said as his laughter died down, "And that's why I'm so thankful to have someone like you around, Sasuke."

Sasuke stared straight ahead as he tied Naruto's obi in the front. The elf said nothing in response to Naruto's gratitude, but his eyes had begun to well up again. That kind of reaction was unexpected, to say the least. Naruto had very little idea what was really bothering the elf so much; he had seen Sasuke's red nose and eyes in the backyard when he was washing the kimono, but the blond figured it was best not to press into the matter.

But this was the second time today that Sasuke had looked so crestfallen. Naruto pursed his lips and reached towards the smaller male.

"Hey, what're you crying for, Sasuke?" Naruto asked softly - he wasn't even sure why his voice had gotten so gentle.

With a quiet sniff, Sasuke reached out to Naruto's left hand and held it close to his chest, as if afraid of letting him go.

Sasuke let out a shaky breath, then said in the smallest voice, "I-I was afraid I had lost you."

Flabbergasted at Sasuke's intense demonstration of emotion, Naruto stood quiet for some time, but never pulled away from the elf. He had little idea how to best respond, how to console another. Naruto, after all, never quite had the luxury of someone consoling him when his own parents died.

But still, the blond would have to try. It wouldn't do to have Sasuke be all gloomy when no one had actually died.

"Hey," Naruto started finally with a crooked smile, causing Sasuke to look up with particularly drenched eyelashes, "stop crying. I'm not dead yet."

Rather than the desired effect of cheering up the elf, those dark eyes shut tightly and Sasuke lunged forward to grip much of the front of Naruto's kimono. The delicate fabric bunched up in seemingly frail, pale fists.

"I know. I know you're not dead. But if you were-"

The very thought of it caused Sasuke to bury his face in Naruto's chest. He made no sound other than his staggered breathing. It sounded as if he were suffocating.

"Sasuke," Naruto said firmly as he pulled away from the elf, "I'm absolutely fine. You see me standing here? I'm alive. I'm not going anywhere. You hear me?"

The elf blinked rapidly, the remnant tears in his eyes rolling over his cheeks. He looked down, not daring to meet Naruto's stern eyes. The blond sighed, then, not even caring about the sharp pain that shot through his shoulder, put his arms around Sasuke and held him tight.

"Idiot. You're supposed to cry for me when I die, not while I'm still alive. And wasn't I the one who got injured?"

Sasuke hiccuped. He made another strange, audible noise that sounded as if he were straining his vocal chords. It reminded Naruto of a whining puppy.

Naruto felt slightly guilty for having put Sasuke and Sakura through all this, but for Sasuke especially. He was probably not used to having his master come home all ripped up. And the fact of the matter was that the elf seemed to have grown quite attached to him, so seeing him nearing death was probably as traumatic and disturbing as it could get.

"I'm sorry. If...if I had known how dangerous it was to travel, I would have gone with you," Sasuke said quietly as he looked up apprehensively.

The blond let go of Sasuke as he furrowed his eyebrows and, with a scolding tone, said, "Stop thinking like that. If you had gone with me, there's no doubt they would have tried to kidnap you. And what would have happened with you then?"

With no valid argument to rebuttal that sort of logic, Sasuke remained quiet and stared at the clothed chest in front of him. Naruto let out an audible sigh and walked over to slide the bedroom door open. He turned around to see that Sasuke hadn't moved from his spot, his eyes having fallen to the floor and his hair curtaining most of his face.

"Hey, I have to report to Tsunade. She's been expecting me since last night," Naruto said as he tried to escape from the increasing tension in the room.

Sasuke looked up at him quickly, with his eyes wide and brimming with tears again. "You're going out again?"

Naruto nodded. Before the elf could even begin to argue, he was already heading for the front entryway and grabbed a pair of geta from the closet. As he made to leave the house, Sasuke came running to him and gripped a fistful of his sleeve.

"Please, master, let me come with you."

The pitiful expression on Sasuke's face was almost enough to wrench guilt from Naruto's heart. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to bring him along; after all, he figured he owed the elf something.

"Let's go, then," Naruto sighed.

oooOOooo

Sasuke sat quietly on the comfy sofa in the corner of Tsunade's office. He almost regretted asking to come along with Naruto, mostly because they were spending an awfully long time there and he was getting quite bored of doing nothing. But still, keeping himself in Naruto's presence was worth his boredom.

The elf only barely tuned in to the conversation between his master and the mayor of Konoha. They were speaking about a myriad of things, from the diplomacy status between Konoha and the neighboring village, to the attack against Naruto.

But Sasuke began to pay particular attention when Tsunade scolded Naruto: "No apologies. I just hope you've learned that the world is not the same anymore, Naruto. It's finally time you start defending yourself more properly. I'll have Asuma make you another sword, but this time you have to promise me you'll actually use it."

Naruto leaned forward, propping up his chin as he pressed his elbows onto Tsunade's desk. Sasuke watched his master's back intently, as if waiting for him to turn around. When Tsunade glanced over at him, he turned his head to the side, feigning ignorance. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the busty woman had lifted an eyebrow at him.

The elf stared down at his hands and wiggled his fingers absentmindedly as he went back to listening quietly.

"And as for your stolen funds, I'm afraid I can't do anything about that. Hopefully the payment from this mission will be enough to hold you over until the next one. But I do trust that you have an extra reserve secured somewhere for emergencies like this."

The blond groaned. Sasuke lifted his head up just the slightest bit to look at his master, who was running his hands through his hair. He didn't need to guess that all of his master's money had been stolen by that thief. At the thought, the elf's blood boiled.

Tsunade let out a frustrated growl, "Naruto, you're impossible. Look, I'll cut you a deal; I've been having some paperwork overflow, so if you come in to help me at least a few times a week, I can give you some compensation - just until you get back on your feet."

Sasuke figured his master and the mayor were close, but this secondhand kindness was, perhaps, a token of her fondness for him. He watched even more closely, staring directly at the two of them without care, as Naruto sat up straight and clapped his hands together, bowing over and over again.

"Old hag, you're the best. I don't know what I would do without your kindness," Naruto said, relief evident in his voice.

Tsunade's eye twitched at the insulting pet name Naruto had given her, but the blond female simply thwacked the side of his head. "Brat. Just for that, I expect you here tomorrow at sunrise."

"But-"

"No excuses! Tomorrow. Sunrise. Got it? Now leave. I have paperwork to catch up on. Don't forget to collect your payment on the way out."

Naruto seemed to know when Tsunade was being absolutely serious, for he stood up quickly and, with an embarrassed look on his face, gestured to Sasuke to signal their leave. The elf stood up himself and followed after his master, making sure to shut the door softly behind them as they left.

When they were outside, Naruto rubbed the back of his head and grumbled, "That old hag. I don't know whether to be thankful or not."

Sasuke said nothing in response, and wordlessly followed the blond as they maneuvered their way towards the deployment office to collect Naruto's payment.

oooOOooo

Deciding that the long meeting called for a rewarding trip to the barbecue shop, Naruto led Sasuke into the heart of the village where people were still bustling through the marketplace in the middle of the afternoon.

The elf watched his master's back apprehensively, making sure that no one would bump into Naruto's bad shoulder. He was so engrossed in protecting Naruto that he barely even noticed the people around them staring. If he had paid a little more attention, Sasuke would perhaps have realized that his hair had been tucked behind his ears, showing them off in a splendorous kind of way that inspired and offended humans and elves alike.

"You'll like this place, Sasuke. The old man who runs this place marinates the meat in beautiful sauces," Naruto grinned as they walked through the entrance, past the elves who remained outside the restaurant to wait for their masters.

The eyes that stared and glared at the "spoiled elf" - as most people referred him as - watched enviously as Sasuke followed closely behind Naruto into the building.

Inside, the pair was seen no differently. Patrons looked over, some in curiosity while others in disgust, as Naruto made a noisy entrance. He called out to the shop owner and took a seat at a table in the middle of the restaurant, seemingly unaware of the people staring at him and Sasuke.

The elf's eyes dashed from one end of the room to the other; he could see that most of the customers were staring directly at them. It did not help that Naruto chose to sit in a location that would showcase his strange treatment of a low-class elf like Sasuke. Even with the beautiful garments on, many people glared as the pointed elf ears poked out from Sasuke's dark tresses.

"Na - Master," Sasuke whispered, catching himself from calling his master by name for fear of judgment from the other humans, "Do we have to stay here? Everyone is staring."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and looked around in an almost exaggerated manner. Most people looked away before they were caught in the blue-eyed warrior's gaze, but some refused to back down as they continued to glare. The blond stared hard into the eyes of a particularly young, grey-haired man with glasses.

"Please," Sasuke whispered again, his voice becoming desperately pleading, "I'll cook barbecue at home. I … I don't want to be stared at like this. I feel like I've been put on display for these people."

A frown weighed down Naruto's face. He scratched the top of his head, then sighed as he got up and gestured Sasuke to move with him. Walking directly to the counter, Naruto ordered a few cooked dishes to take home. As they waited, the elf stood close to his master, eyes cast downwards and hands folded in front of him like a chastised child.

Relief washed over the elf when they got outside. Sasuke insisted on holding the warm, heavy food; he did not want any more people staring at them oddly. But it was hard to avoid attention anyway, because his own ornate clothing was enough to make him stand out from the crowd of plain kimono.

With another heavy sigh, Naruto let the corners of his mouth droop as they started towards the outskirts of the village. When Sasuke looked over at him questioningly, the blond turned back to him and gave him a small smile.

"Let's go home."

oooOOooo

Naruto watched on as Sasuke clumsily gripped his chopsticks and reached over his rice bowl to retrieve a piece of barbecued beef. The warm meat disappeared past shiny, oiled lips into the hungry mouth, shortly followed by a morsel of rice.

"There's nothing wrong with sharing a meal with me in a restaurant, Sasuke. We could have eaten there without any problem, you know."

The elf stopped chewing to stare at Naruto, a blank expression adorned on his face. Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. He understood Sasuke's discomfort from all the stares, but being Naruto's elf should be enough of a reason to not give a shit about that. The blond exhaled sharply through his nose and cricked his neck.

"Ah, would you like a massage, Ma - Naruto?" Sasuke asked as he sprung up from his knees.

Shaking his head, Naruto tried to assure that he was perfectly fine. However, when fragile hands began to rub and break down his tense muscles, all resistance ceased. Naruto sighed and slouched back as he leaned towards Sasuke, who was now kneeling behind him. The blond male let out another content sigh as knuckles pressed against the knots in his shoulders.

Despite Naruto's eagerness to prove to Sasuke that his being an elf should not matter to anyone, he let it go for now. The elf's massage worked wonders to relax his tense muscles.

"You've been taking such great care of me," Naruto said wistfully as he tilted his head to the side, "I thought Orochimaru called you rowdy. But you're nothing like that at all."

It was also a surprise that this elf was so obedient - so utterly nice, despite his reputation at Orochimaru's shop. The dark-haired beauty really proved to be a good investment, Naruto thought.

Sasuke did not reply immediately, but when he did, the pads of his fingers pressed into tense neck muscles as he replied, "I only treat my masters as well as they treat me. It's only right."

Naruto grinned, then chuckled a bit as he tilted his head forward. He could never bring himself to mistreat Sasuke; his beautiful eyes, skin, lips...they were enough incentive to treat him well. The elf had a healthy glow when he was happy, after all. The blond hummed as fragile fingers raked through his hair, fingernails scratching his scalp lightly.

"Oh god, that feels good," Naruto moaned.

And, without him even realizing it, the front of Naruto's hakama slowly rose as heat shimmied down between his legs. His entire body warmed at the sensation.

Sasuke's hands paused and stiffened a bit. Naruto realized that, perhaps, his tone of voice may have given away the arousal that had taken over his being. But the blond male wasn't the least bit embarrassed at his reaction to the more intimate touches; Sasuke had discovered his weak spot all too easily. Besides, it wasn't as if he was a young boy foreign to the concept of sex. He'd had his fair share of sex partners.

"Ah," Sasuke said softly as his hands gripped Naruto's shoulders, "you're..."

Unabashedly, Naruto batted the elf's hands away and made to stand up. He stretched as much as he could without causing himself too much pain and scratched absentmindedly at his stitches.

"I'm going to head over to the brothel. Seems that my time away from the village has built up a lot of tension down there too," Naruto said lightheartedly, "You finish up dinner. I'll be back in a little while."

The blond gave one last smile and patted Sasuke on the head before heading for the front door. Just as he stepped outside, Sasuke pulled on his sleeve, causing him to turn around. The elf had turned his head a little off to the side, his face tinged with a slight pink.

"Sasuke?" Naruto inquired curiously, "Is something wrong?"

Sasuke looked up at him, his face reddening. He pressed his lips together and shook his head, forcing the corners of his lips upwards.

"Nothing's wrong," Sasuke said quickly, "But - uh, come home soon, okay? I'll have some tea waiting for you."

Naruto's eyebrows were far up his forehead as his mouth opened slightly in surprise. He then curled his lips up and let his eyes fall a little.

"Of course. I'll be back soon."

And so the blond male went, leaving his house in the care of his elf - his Sasuke.

Naruto could not help himself as he smiled and whistled all the way to the brothel.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Well, here I am again! I apologize for the slow updates, but there's not much free time in my schedule to put aside for writing. Always working and studying (just some advice for the youngins: cherish your childhood and free time while it lasts).

On another note, here's a shout out to _Harco8059_**, _Azh Hikari_**, _anonymous_, _yamiatemyugi_**, _Dragon77_**, _dragonlilly1993_, _izzy1229anime_**, _ftmcoffeedrinker_, _The-Mexican-Ninja_, and _DarkspinVargas_**! (** Denotes multiple reviews! Thanks, guys!)

On a similar note, many thanks to all of you who have added this story to their alerts. And more thanks to you guys who added this to their favorites! And _even more_ thanks to those who have added me on their favorite author list! I'm really honored to have so many supporters. You are all the reason why I continue to write. Your readership means so much to me. Seriously. :)

On a story-related note, this chapter may or may not tickle your fancy. It has definitely taken a bit of a turn from the usual fluff of the other chapters. This one is - how do you say it - more psychologically twisted.

Expect some groping. And some dirty talk. And...well, brace yourself.

_Nom nom délicieux_.

* * *

><p>Naruto took a seat in front of Tsunade's desk, not even waiting for her to look up and realize it was him. As he stared at the older woman slouched over her paperwork, the blond took it upon himself to sit back and lift his legs up to prop them on the desk.<p>

"Don't even," Tsunade cut in, Naruto's heels just inches away from the wooden top, "I need you to be serious today, Naruto. No games."

With one, fluid movement, Naruto swung his legs to the side and planted his feet firmly on the ground as Tsunade lifted her heated gaze onto him. The blond, feeling a bit nervous from the sudden tension in the room, chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. It seemed that the mayor was under a lot of stress. Her eyebrows were knitted tightly together and her tone of voice was harsher than usual; something had to be going on.

"Tsunade..." Naruto began as he cocked his head slightly, "what's going on? Are we having troubles with Otogakure? It's not about their illegal slave trades again, is it?"

The barrage of questions was commonplace for Naruto; he wanted to know all the going-ons with Konohagakure, and even if he could offer little help with the real politics, it made him feel somewhat important that he knew all the details of the town, down to the last elf.

However, Naruto knew that, despite his hunger for knowledge, Tsunade would be somewhat reluctant to tell him certain things because of his impulse to act. He knew fully well that, in situations where armed conflict could possibly emerge, he would be the first one to the battlefield. And it was with that determination to protect his village that Tsunade, having told him this several times already, would withhold vital information from him - at least, until she thought it necessary to disclose.

The mayor sighed and she replied, "The Fire Country has reason to believe that some warriors from Otogakure have been overstepping country lines, trafficking our elves into the Water Country for ill-gotten money. And since we do not currently have any alliance treaties with the Water Country-"

"They'll turn the blind eye."

With the silence that rested between them, Naruto could tell that his assumption was true, though he wished that it hadn't been so. Diplomatic conflict never boded good news, not with the current daimyo. Just the fact that they were called, "Council of Elders", only further supported just how outdated their governing methods were.

The blond could barely contain his sudden anxiety, the foreboding nausea in his stomach making him feel sick.

"The Council's doing something about this, right?" Naruto asked inquisitively, his bright eyes trained on the blond woman, "Are you going to try to draft a treaty between the Fire and Water Countries? The Sound Country isn't large, but even their civilians are ambitious. If we don't decide on something-"

Tsunade slammed her fist onto the table, effectively rendering Naruto into submissive - and frightened - silence. The young male, with wide eyes, stared at Tsunade with apprehension as she slumped her shoulders and put all of her body weight onto the desk as she leaned forward. She rested her chin on her forearm and peered at Naruto.

"Naruto, you don't think I know all that? Why do you think I called you in here? I have to meet with the council in an hour. We'll deliberate then, and by the time today is over, you'll know what is going on with the Fire Country. In the meantime, help me with all this paperwork. I can't let it pile up any more than it has been."

Naruto nodded wordlessly. He wanted to go to the Council meeting himself, but Tsunade probably would not want him stirring up the old folk; with his radical notions, the geezers would probably seize from shock. Besides, the mayor was counting on him to keep everything in order, and he would do so without fail - even if it meant hours upon hours of mindless paperwork.

Tsunade got up from her seat and moved to the door. Pausing in front of it, she spun on her heel and leaned back against the wood, crossing her arms over her chest.

"And speaking of elves, since when did you..._acquire_- for lack of a better word - your elf, Naruto? I thought you were against elven slavery."

The blond got up from his seat and moved behind the desk, taking a seat in the one Tsunade had recently vacated. He shrugged nonchalantly in response to Tsunade, whose eyebrow raised in questioning.

"I heard rumors floating around town that Orochimaru was thinking of euthanizing one of the elves who was taking up space in his shop. I saved that elf from an undeserved death. That's all."

Tsunade had raised both of her eyebrows in surprise. She hummed in thought, her eyes glancing off to the side, but said nothing more as she made to leave.

The door opened with the twist of the doorknob, and she turned her head momentarily to give some final words to Naruto: "Oh, and if I find out that you ditched the office before sundown, I'll dock your pay for a month. Don't let me down."

The blond saluted lazily with two fingers and remained composed until Tsunade shut the door behind her. Once the hall had cleared of the clicking of her heels, Naruto rubbed absentmindedly at his bandages, sighed, and put his feet up on the desk.

He had full faith in Tsunade, but the Council on the other hand...

oooOOooo

Sasuke was worried. The sun was beginning to set and his master still hadn't come back yet from the mayor's office. His stomach twisted in knots; he imagined the worst, that Naruto was in trouble again and was lying somewhere, hurt and unable to help himself.

Remaining in town was definitely a lot safer than roaming around outside, but the elf still could not help the fear that gnawed away at him. The irrational fear of losing Naruto was causing him a lot more trouble than he ever cared to give himself before.

He stared at the pan of noodles, vegetables, and beef strips as the quiet sizzling of the oils lulled him into a trance. In order to keep his mind off his anxiety, Sasuke decided it was time to prepare dinner so that when Naruto came home (he refused to open up the possibility of Naruto in trouble), a hot meal would be immediately available for him. The elf wanted to give the best comfort he could provide.

But even after all the food had been cooked and the table had been set, Sasuke was still nervous that Naruto had not come home yet. He looked outside and saw that the sun had already set, leaving the sky a luscious, deep purple hue.

"I'm sure Naruto is okay," Sasuke said quietly to himself, "but I can't just sit here and do nothing."

As irrational as his fear and paranoia were, the elf could not help himself and prepared to leave the house. He slipped into his geta and went out the door, making sure to shut the door behind him as he went.

The road leading towards the middle of town was barely lit up; people did not bother to light up the lanterns outside until the darkness really set in. Sasuke walked on this road, trying to recall the way to town hall.

Luckily for him, the middle of town was lit up much more brightly. The restaurants and shops still open for business helped light up the darkening area. Sasuke walked past the barbecue restaurant he and Naruto attempted to visit the night before, and he glanced into the shop for a second before hurrying off; one of the cooks was squatting outside, with a cigarette in his mouth, staring intently at him.

When the elf felt it safe to stop for a moment to survey his surroundings, a deep, familiar voice came from behind him, calling out his name in an almost-whispered pant, "Sasuke..."

Sasuke's body froze, the blood in his veins suddenly going very cold. He didn't dare turn around and remained just as he was, tight-lipped and stiff.

"Sasuke," the baritone voice lulling him, "Sasuke, turn around and greet your master properly."

Why was his former master in Konoha? He lived in Lightning Country, which was certainly nowhere near this town. How did he find him?

Swallowing the uncomfortably large lump in his throat, Sasuke licked his dry, dry lips and clenched his hands into fists. With every fiber in his body and every neuron in his mind fighting him to hold back, Sasuke said, defiantly, "No."

And just as that resolute word left his mouth, Sasuke shut his eyes tightly, bracing himself for a hit.

But it never came.

His former master just hummed calmly - dangerously - as he began to breathe down Sasuke's neck.

"Mahh, it seems that you've grown quite a backbone there, Sasuke. So it's true then - you have a new master now."

Just how slowly and deliberately his former master was speaking made Sasuke shiver involuntarily. He was shaking slightly, unable to help himself as fear began to seep deep into his skin and as he realized that his former master was, indeed, right behind him.

And Sasuke, at this moment, could not have wanted Naruto any more than now.

oooOOooo

Naruto stretched in his seat - or rather, Tsunade's seat - and looked out the window, realizing that it was well past sundown. He immediately thought of Sasuke, who was probably worried sick about him right now. Standing up and stretching some more, Naruto cricked his neck and cracked his knuckles; hours upon hours of paperwork was much more strenuous than he thought. No wonder the mayor was always cranky.

The blond male exited the office and looked down the hall. There was absolutely no one in sight, so he sauntered towards the stairs and whistled a tune as he went.

When he got downstairs, Naruto spotted a head of silver hair. The man sitting down, with his leg crossed and his nose buried in an orange novel, didn't seem to notice the blond male as he sidled up next to him.

"Fancy seeing you here, Kakashi. I hope you weren't waiting for me."

Looking up from his book, Kakashi stashed it in his pocket as he stood up to shake Naruto's hand.

"Naruto, good to see you. I only just got in. They told me you'd be done with paperwork soon anyway."

With a grin on his face, Naruto took a good look Kakashi. He looked the same as ever - his hair, as far as Naruto could remember, had always been strangely silver. And the face mask covering the lower half of his face was nothing new. Yes, he looked just the same.

The only thing that seemed very different was the clothes he was wearing. They were much like Naruto's own kimono and hakama clothing set, but the kimono was embellished - rather meticulously - with the Kumogakure symbol. He also had a sword tied to his waist, which made Naruto wonder whether or not Kakashi had had a rough time making his way over to town.

Back in the old days, Naruto and Kakashi were neighbors in an offway village in Fire Country. Naruto always remembered Kakashi as someone to revere; his fighting skills were top-notch, and he was quickly drafted by a warrior from Lightning Country. Since then, they had only kept in touch once in a while. The blond was surprised the other male even remembered a bratty kid like him.

"All that aside, how are you? Must have been a long trip from Kumogakure. If you don't have a place to rest for the night, you can come over to my place. Plenty of room, and it's free," Naruto offered.

Kakashi smiled in response, "If you don't mind me imposing."

oooOOooo

Sasuke was so out of breath as he shut the door behind him, his hands shaking as he locked it. As soon as his former master had given him a chance, the elf ran. He didn't even look back behind him to see if he was following him. But he ran and ran, pumping his legs as fast as he could, not even caring as the same cook from that barbecue place yelled after him after he kicked his geta off his feet.

The elf's breaths came in shallowly, and his lungs were on fire. Sasuke shut his eyes and put a hand over his beating heart, trying to calm himself as he murmured some elven passages his mother had sung to him once. As his body began to relax, the elf looked down at his feet, cursing himself when he saw that they were dirty.

He got up at once and made his way to the bathroom; Naruto would never have to know that he was outside, as long as he took a quick bath before his master came back.

So he made his way to the bathroom and started up the water, letting the steam fill up the room. Sasuke stripped himself as the tub filled up and stepped in as soon as the water was high enough.

As he began to wash down, the elf finally found himself able to think clearly. But the eerie voice of his former master - well, it had been years since he had last come in contact with him. Sasuke, however, could vividly recall the day that he had been sold into the slave market. He had never experienced anything like it before; Sasuke had entered slavery through his mother and was quite unused to being treated lower than cattle.

The bath water was beginning to turn slightly murky from all the dirt Sasuke had washed off himself. Just as he took out the tub plug and let the water drain, he could hear the front door unlock and open. The elf hurried, wiping himself down with a towel and putting his kimono back on.

Sasuke stepped out of the bathroom and, much to his horror, saw his master with his former master in tow. Eyes wide, the elf took two steps towards his room and made a mad dash, closing the door quietly but quickly. He opened up the cabinet with the futon and climbed in, much like he had done after watching Naruto practice with his sword.

Inside, Sasuke made no sound or movement. He listened sharply for any sounds, and stiffened up when the door to his bedroom slid open.

"Sasuke? Sasuke, are you in the cabinet again? We have a visitor; come out and say hello."

The last thing the elf wanted to do was give a welcomed greeting to someone he neither welcomed nor wanted to greet. Sasuke remained silent, refusing to give away any indication that he was even in the room. Naruto, however, marched right over to the cabinet and yanked the door open. He glared down at the cowering elf, his hands pressed on his hips.

"I...I don't want to say hello, Naruto," Sasuke said meekly as he wrapped his arms around himself.

Eyebrows coming to meet in the middle, Naruto frowned heavily. He was just about to open his mouth to say something when Kakashi walked in the door and leaned against the wooden frame.

"Mah, it's fine, Naruto. I scared him off earlier by town hall; seemed he was there to pick you up, but I started to pick on him. I'm starting to think my joke went a little too far, actually. I didn't know he was your elf."

Almost immediately, the blond male's wrath directed away from Sasuke to Kakashi. Naruto poked Kakashi in the chest as he spoke, as if reprimanding the older man for his misbehavior.

"Whether Sasuke's my elf or not, it doesn't give you the right to scare any elf, Kakashi. I can only imagine how terrified Sasuke was!"

Kakashi laughed, his gaze falling on Sasuke momentarily. The elf felt his blood run cold again, and he climbed out of the cabinet to hide behind Naruto. Grasping a handful of delicate fabric from his master's back, Sasuke tried his best to keep himself out of his former master's view. He also, nervously, patted down his hair and covered the sharp tips of his ears.

Sasuke, at this point, knew fully well that Naruto had no idea Kakashi was his former master. And at this point, he had also figured out that the man was acquaintances with Naruto.

The situation did not bode well for Sasuke.

"Well, in any case, we'll talk more about this on a full stomach," Naruto said as he huffed, "Sasuke, heat up some supper. And get out the nice dishware. And some sake too."

Sasuke did not even want to argue. He timidly moved from behind Naruto and dashed out the door towards the kitchen, not even giving Kakashi a second glance as he went by. Only when he was in the kitchen did he really breathe.

He could not help his fear of Kakashi. It would seem rather foolish of him to be like this, especially since he was not his master anymore. But all the same, Sasuke could not rid himself of the nightmarish memories of his time spent under Kakashi's possession. He was, after all, the man who had complete control over his entire well-being.

The elf shuddered; in the younger years of his life, Kakashi had come home one night completely drunk and had beaten Sasuke in an angry bout. His mother tried to shield him, to save him from the hardened fists that night. Kakashi sent Sasuke's mother away the very next day.

That had made Sasuke extremely hateful towards Kakashi, but the fear that he had of the silver-haired man trumped all the anger he held in his heart. And even now, the elf had barely gotten over the fact that Kakashi did not own him anymore.

Shaking his head, Sasuke attempted to rid his mind of bad thoughts. He did not belong to Kakashi, so he had no reason to fear that man.

At least, that was what the elf was trying to tell himself.

oooOOooo

"Ah, that was some good food and drink," Naruto said as he leaned back and patted his belly, "I suppose it's getting a bit late too. Shall I run a bath for you, Kakashi?"

The silver-haired man, who was sitting across from both Naruto and Sasuke, glanced over at the elf - who caught his staring - and looked back at Naruto. "No, I'm all right. I actually went to the baths earlier, before I met up with you."

Naruto shrugged at Kakashi's decline to his offer, and stood up slowly as he stretched his body.

"You must be tired, at least. Sasuke, prepare the spare bedroom for him while I take a bath."

And with that, the blond went off towards the bathroom. Kakashi made no move to stand up from his spot at the table, so Sasuke stood up and made his way to the extra room, looking over his shoulder nervously at his former master as he shut the door. He walked over to the cabinet and retrieved the futon, spreading it out on the tatami mat and smoothing down the blanket lumps.

"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. Who knew Naruto had picked up my leftovers?"

Sasuke spun around so fast that he fell on his backside onto the futon. His eyes wide, the elf clenched the fabric underneath him in his hands and swallowed hard.

Kakashi stood in the doorway of the spare bedroom, leaning against the door frame. The silver-haired man had a thing for leaning against door frames; he did it so often people would forget just how tall and menacing he really was when he straightened up.

Sensing Sasuke's fear, Kakashi grinned and went on, "Seems like you haven't forgotten me at all."

The elf turned his head to the side and scoffed in an attempt to play off his apprehension, "Why have you come to Konoha?"

The silver-haired man smirked and shoved his hands in his pockets after he stepped into the room and shut the door behind him.

"Well, I suppose a lowly elf like you wouldn't know anything about politics. Many of your kind from Fire Country are getting kidnapped and shipped over to Water Country. Seems that Konoha has an insufficient spec ops team, so I've been sent here to partake in a covert operation.

"But you know," Kakashi continued as he squatted and came eye-to-eye with Sasuke, "I actually miss having you around the house. You were..._useful _to have."

Sasuke's eyebrows knitted as the silver-haired male reached forward and ghosted his fingers over his cheek, then over his lips. The elf turned his head away and scooted back on the futon to gain some distance between them. One side of Kakashi's mouth tilted upward, and he, with one fluid movement, lunged forward, pinning down the smaller body beneath him.

Hardly comprehending what had just happened in the last few seconds, the elf did not react until he was looking up into those grey eyes looming over him. The terror in Sasuke's entire body shook him as he thrashed and kicked at Kakashi. He shut his eyes and turned his head to the side, refusing to look into the eyes of his former master.

"Get off me!" Sasuke shouted, "Naruto! Help me!"

If only Naruto could save him. If only the spare bedroom wasn't so far from the bathroom. Completely helpless, Sasuke felt himself giving in to his former master, despite every fiber in his body screaming out "no".

Kakashi put a hand over the elf's mouth and pressed his body flush onto the smaller body underneath his. He moved his lips close to Sasuke's ear and licked along the shell. When he got to the sharp tip, Kakashi ran his teeth lightly over the cartilage. Continuing with his light touches, the dominant male removed the hand from Sasuke's mouth and held his wrists together above his head.

Much to his own surprise, the elf did not scream any more. He did, however, begin to breathe heavily as the man on top of him used his other hand to caress his body. First, that hand stroked his cheek gently - almost too gently, even - and made its way down his neck, over his chest, then stopped at his crotch. By this time, Sasuke's face was completely flushed; he was still so sensitive to the touches of his former master.

"Look at you, you're _hard_. What do you think Naruto would do, if he saw you right now?" Kakashi said softly into Sasuke's ear, "He may be your new master, but you still react so strongly to me. Has he even touched you _like this_?"

Sasuke let out a whine as Kakashi palmed his slowly-building erection through his kimono. He wanted it to stop, and yet all the same, he wanted that warm hand to continue touching him. Slowly awakening from his sexual suppression, Sasuke completely forgot who was on top of him and began to rock his hips upwards to gain friction. Kakashi grunted, almost loosening the hold he had on the elf.

This was a bad idea. Sasuke knew it, and he was still allowing Kakashi to elicit this. There was no struggle any more, and there was no attempt to get away from this sick, sick man. Perhaps he himself was sick; Sasuke _wanted_ this, despite all the kindness Naruto had shown him. The elf could feel tears build up as he opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling; the guilt building up in his belly churned uncomfortably within him.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Hey all! Happy New Year and all the good stuff. I hope you enjoyed your wonderful holidays! I know I definitely did.

So I ended up doing very well in my previous semester of school, but at the cost of writing time for this story. I'm sorry I could not get this chapter out any sooner. :(

Moving on to more important things than my excuses, I'd like to give a huge thanks to _Emirri!, Harco 8059!, izzy1229anime!, BadButt94, Dragon77!, operagirl76!, Chaoschaser01, The-Mexican-Ninja!, Azh Hikari!, writer4ever14, angandres, Shane, and InoYamanaka1_. (Those with ! next to their names know why they get the special treatment haha)

I must apologize for the quality of this chapter, however. This chunk of text may seem quite slow in development, but I swear there's more than meets the eye! It will make way for some better parts of the plot, I promise.

And at the end of the chapter, many of you (including myself) will probably be googly-eyed and going, "Awww!" If you get a warm fuzzy feeling inside, don't panic - that's a very normal side effect!

Side effects include disturbing thoughts and warm fuzzy feelings on the inside.

Use with caution and do not drive or operate heavy machinery after reading this chapter.

* * *

><p>Naruto yawned. It was a relatively early morning for him, and the sun had barely just begun to rise. He padded quietly towards Sasuke's room, ready to wake him up to prepare breakfast for Kakashi. Normally, Naruto would let the elf sleep for some time before waking him up, but he did not want to keep his older friend waiting.<p>

Just as he raised his hand to tap on the door frame, Kakashi emerged from the bathroom down the hall and called out to Naruto in a low voice, "Don't bother waking him up. Let's get some breakfast at the bakery; I have a few matters to discuss with you anyway."

The blond stopped himself from knocking and walked towards the silver-haired man, whose face looked particularly glowing. Perhaps he had a good night's rest. Kakashi probably had not slept on a proper futon since his journey out to Konoha.

Wordlessly, they made their way to the front of the house, putting on their geta and stepping outside. The air was chilly and slightly humid; the fog in the distance made it difficult to see into the town ahead.

As they walked towards the middle of town, Kakashi engaged Naruto in some light conversation. They talked about things like the weather and the best restaurants in town, but nothing more serious than that. The townspeople who were awake preparing for the day's selling in the marketplace looked over at the pair in curiosity, mostly because they recognized the silver-haired man as a foreigner.

When they got to the bakery, the two ordered tea and meat buns. Taking their food over to the counter facing the wall, both Naruto and Kakashi sat down on the uncomfortable stools.

"Naruto, I've been meaning to ask you, but what are those scars on your face?" Kakashi asked as he tilted his head inquisitively.

Naruto's hand quickly shot up to feel the eerily straight-lined scars on his cheek. He had forgotten all about them; no one had asked, save Tsunade, and so he gave no other thought to them. However, with Kakashi bringing them up suddenly, the blond was feeling rather self-conscious about them.

"Ah, I didn't tell you; a week ago, I was making my way back from a mission when some bandits confronted me. The bastard of a leader managed to cut my face and my shoulder," at this, Naruto pulled at his kimono, revealing his bandages, "before taking off with all my money and even my sword."

At the thought, Naruto's blood began to boil. He didn't know how mere bandits could have overpowered him, but the fact was that they had done so. His money and sword - the two most valuable things to his name - had been stripped all too easily from him. The only thing he got to show for his struggle against the bandits were scars.

Feeling rather perturbed at the fresh memory, Naruto shut his eyes and felt his entire body shiver.

"I apologize. It seems you weren't quite comfortable talking about it just yet."

The blond shook his head and opened his eyes to look at his friend, "It's all right. You wouldn't have known. But...let's talk about something else. You said you had some matters to discuss with me?"

Kakashi tipped his head in acknowledgment as he replied, "Tsunade sent word some time last week about what was going on between the Fire and Water countries. Are there any updates I should know about?"

Naruto looked around cautiously, only to see that there were some people sitting around who could be potential eavesdroppers. Leaning forward onto the wooden surface, the blond looked forward towards the wall, then looked down at the still-steaming meat bun sitting on his plate.

"It would be best to wait until Tsunade fills you in personally. I haven't even heard anything since the meeting of the Council yesterday afternoon, so I could only tell you what little I know," Naruto said, then leaned towards Kakashi and lowered his voice, "Besides, you of all people should realize that there are too many ears listening in."

The silver-haired man, sitting tall in his seat, looked over his shoulder as if glancing at nothing in particular. He turned back and looked at the wall again, fiddling with the seam of his kimono sleeve.

"Perhaps it would be best if we waited."

The conversation between them ceased, which allowed for the both of them to start breakfast. Naruto was left in heavy thought as he took a sip of hot green tea, tasting the slight bitterness coat his tongue. Taking a rather large first bite from his meat bun, he wondered why Kakashi had insisted on having breakfast outside. If he had wanted to talk, his home would have been the most ideal place to speak in private.

Looking out from the corner of his eye, Naruto pursed his lips for a moment before going back to breakfast. Kakashi seemed so aloof, not even taking a bite or a sip of anything. It seemed that this whole "getting breakfast at the bakery" thing was just a ploy for something else.

Feeling a little guilty that he was almost belittling his friend, Naruto cleared the thought from his mind and continued have his breakfast.

oooOOooo

Sasuke remained on his futon, every muscle in his body aching and sore. He turned his head to look away from Kakashi, who had just stood up and was fixing his kimono. The elf, his mind completely fazed with the wake-up call the other man had given him, lay where he was, for it took too much effort to move at the moment. After just a night's rest, the human was ready to go again for round two. Sasuke could barely keep up, his mind foggy from sleep and his body still recovering from the night before.

But here this man was again, dressing himself after another humiliating bout of moaning and aching. Scrunching his eyes shut and turning slowly - his muscles feeling much too worn - to rest on his side, Sasuke pulled one end of the soiled sheet over him.

"I'm surprised at how soundly Naruto can sleep," Kakashi mused as he walked over towards Sasuke, "You weren't so quiet this time around. I've almost forgotten just how loudly you can sing for me, Sasuke. Tell me, do you sing quite as sweetly for your _precious_ master?"

There was no answer from the elf. Was the further humiliation necessary after all that? Sasuke pulled his legs up into him, his knees approaching his chest as he tried to settle into fetal position. He did not want to hear any of it anymore, and Sasuke was certainly not going to give in to his former master's sadistic sense of satisfaction.

"In any case, I'm sure you'll need some time to clean yourself up. And I reckon your master will be up soon. To save you the embarrassment, I'll distract him for an hour so you can wash the sin from your body."

And with not another word, Kakashi left the room. Sasuke, devoid of any emotion, sat up groggily and remained still for some time before deciding to stand up. When he did so, his sheets slipped off his smooth legs and he bent down to grab one corner. The elf used the sheets to wipe off any sweat and other bodily liquids off him before he began to search for his now-missing kimono.

Hearing footsteps in the hallway, Sasuke froze on the spot and listened intently. He tiptoed back over to his futon and, not even caring about how filthy the sheets were, threw them over him. Feigning sleep was probably one of his worser skills, but in the chance that Kakashi had been completely lying to him about distracting Naruto, Sasuke could attempt to cover any evidence up. He pulled the sheet over his shoulder to hide the fact that he was missing any clothes.

His hearing became more acute as he shut his eyes and sharpened his ear towards the door. Shivers tore through his body as he heard Kakashi's baritone voice, slightly muffled through the door. Then he heard footsteps going past his room; perhaps Kakashi really was keeping to his word and was granting him time to clean himself up...not that he was _thankful_ or anything of the sort.

When Sasuke was absolutely sure the pair was not going to come back into the house, he began to move around the house in a flurry. He ran into the bathroom and started up a warm bath. Then he ran back into his bedroom and threw the sheets off before putting the futon away. The sheets went with him as he made his way back into the bathroom.

Shutting off the bath faucet, Sasuke threw the sheets onto the floor and then lowered himself into the warm water. He immediately began scrubbing all over his body, wanting to remove any evidence left of Kakashi. Sasuke's eyes began to water as he glided the soap bar over his skin; the thought of his former master on top of him, after all that, made him sick.

"Why," Sasuke murmured as he paused in movement, "_why_ is he doing this to me? He knows that Naruto is my master now, and yet..."

The tears forming in his eyes flowed over his cheeks and dripped into the bathtub. Sasuke took in a shaky breath and continued to scrub himself clean until his skin was a deep pink. He could not rid his skin the memories of Kakashi's breath, of his lips, and of his teeth. The elf slapped a hand to his neck and quickly jumped out of the bath tub to inspect his skin in the mirror.

Much to his relief, not even a small mark was anywhere to be seen. However, he could see the heavy bags under his eyes, evidence of a bad night. But as Sasuke retreated back to the warm depth of bath tub water, a disturbing thought came to mind. If he were to ever accuse Kakashi of mistreating him like this, there would be absolutely no evidence against him. The older human hadn't ever actually done anything to him other than touch him and bring him to release.

Sasuke, suddenly disturbed, picked up the soap again and scrubbed, this time harder. He still felt filthy, despite the fact that he had spent half the bar of soap cleaning himself.

oooOOooo

"Elves? As _sex_ slaves?"

Naruto could only look at his friend incredulously as the silver-haired man stared back casually. Those grey eyes pierced him hard, as if daring the blond to judge him.

"They're useful for more than just housework, Naruto. That's why Water Country's been smuggling them out of Fire Country. Mah, you're still as naïve as you were way back when," Kakashi sighed before sipping some of his tea, "Haven't you ever thought about it before? It's much easier and more cost-effective than going out to visit the brothel so often."

What a way to think. Well, it was an odd thought to Naruto; the very combination of Sasuke and sex just did not seem right at all. Though he had to admit, Sasuke was of the particularly attractive sort, elf or not. He furrowed his eyebrows at the thought of that pale, frail, naked body under him, his elf's eyes lidding halfway and his lips parted in a slight…

"The thought never occurred to me," Naruto snapped, tilting his head back to gulp down the rest of his tea.

The blond hadn't thought of Sasuke as anything more than a friend who did the housework to pay his half of the rent. Naruto barely even remembered that the elf was even an elf at all.

But now that the idea had been presented to him, Naruto had suddenly become flustered at the thought. He had to admit, the trips to the brothel was eating away at his savings, and now that he had to start all over with his finances, it would do to save some of what he would spend at the brothel… But all the same, he hadn't thought of using Sasuke like _that_.

"Don't tell me that you've had…relations with an elf," Naruto said as he shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

The background chatter in the bakery was the only thing he could hear, and the silence from his friend gave him all the information he needed about the other's sex life. Opening his eyes, Naruto spotted Kakashi's thoroughly-eaten breakfast.

"There's nothing wrong with it, Naruto. Your elf is at home, probably begging for you to pay that sort of attention to him. And whether they're slaves or not means little; elves crave it, you know. They need the sexual release just as much as we do, if not more. But – perhaps you wouldn't know."

Raising an eyebrow at Kakashi, Naruto got up from his seat and waited for him to follow suit.

"Shall we bring something back for Sasuke?" Kakashi asked as he gestured towards the shop displays of buns and other sweet pastries.

Naruto nodded and they stepped towards the front counter to order.

When they walked out of the shop and into the brisk morning, Naruto held the paper bag full of warm red bean pastries closer to him. As they headed back to the house, neither of them spoke. Naruto was actually rather glad; though he had always looked up towards his friend back in the old days, it seemed as though now, this man standing next to him was completely different from his childhood. That Kakashi, the one from younger days, had always preached justice, fairness, and tolerance among humans and elves. This Kakashi, on the other hand, seemed much more mute about those ideas. It was as if that old version of Kakashi was just a dream.

When they got to the front door of the house, Naruto opened the door and let Kakashi step in first before going inside himself. They took off their shoes and called into the large house.

"We're back."

Sasuke poked his head out from his bedroom and walked out, his steps light and precautious. The elf made a beeline towards Naruto and pointed his nose towards the paper bag, which emanated a wondrous, delicious smell.

"Welcome back," Sasuke said softly.

Naruto frowned as he handed over the paper bag to Sasuke, whose eyes were encircled with deep, dark bags. They were enough to worry the blond, but he did not want to single the elf out just yet – not until they were alone. He continued to stare intently at Sasuke, making the smaller body fidget a little from nerves.

"We got you some breakfast," Kakashi chimed in.

The elf glanced over at Kakashi then quickly looked down at the floor. "Thank you."

And with that, Sasuke shuffled back into his bedroom. Naruto glanced over at Kakashi, who seemed completely unaffected by the elf's strange behavior. However, he perhaps had no idea what was "normal" or abnormal behavior for Sasuke - he had only met him yesterday, after all.

oooOOooo

"What do you mean the Council won't approve?" Naruto asked as he and Kakashi walked with Tsunade.

The older female, speedwalking from her office down the hall, down two flights of stairs, down another hall, to the conference room, rolled her eyes and huffed, "When I mentioned bringing in help from Lightning Country, they all thought it best to adjourn the meeting for the day and meet up today, to meet Kakashi."

They continued to walk, Kakashi saying nothing as he kept up with Tsunade's pace. Naruto, on the other hand, paused in his step and pointed rudely at the blond woman.

"Hey, I sat in your damned office for the entire day because I thought you were at the meeting! What were you doing after the Council adjourned early?"

Tsunade glanced behind her. "I took a personal day and went gambling."

Just as Naruto was about to voice his absolute protest at Tsunade's lack of responsibility, they pushed through a set of doors into a tensely quiet room. The three of them approached the table in the middle of the room. Naruto, sitting to Tsunade's left while Kakashi sat on her right, stared at the Council of Elders across the table. The majority of them, with their wrinkled brows and furrowed eyebrows, glared back. The scribes sitting at the far sides of the room waited patiently as they prepared their brushes.

"I wasn't expecting to be back in this room," Tsunade began after clearing her throat, "but we still have to do something to capture these traffickers. Of course, we must apprehend them within the borders of Fire Country, but that is why I have called in Kakashi, who comes to us from Lightning Country."

A sudden murmur filled the room as the Elders immediately turned to one anotther, putting their heads together and whispering their criticism. The blond female crossed her arms impatiently as she waited for them to quiet down. However, when it did get quiet, one of the elders spoke for the rest of them.

"Tsunade, though we are on relatively good terms with Lightning Country, how can we be so sure they haven't cooperated with Water Country already? Not that it's anything personal, Kakashi of Lightning Country - you must understand the Council's concern when it comes to...diplomatic assistance."

Kakashi dipped his head. "I understand. While this may be a more unorthodox approach, the Council must also understand that, without a proper leader for a special operations team, the kidnappings in Fire Country will continue."

Naruto turned his head to look at the silver-haired man, sitting on the other side of Tsunade. Since when had this man become so charismatic? He looked on in wonder and, glancing between the Council and Kakashi, saw just how powerfully persuasive the man was against the group of old people.

"Pay attention to Kakashi, and see how he works the Council in his favor," Tsunade whispered as she nudged Naruto in the side, "You may be able to pick up a few tips from him just by watching. I expect you to be able to do this, by the time you become mayor."

Tsunade straightened herself up and said no more, while Naruto, quiet and contemplative of his senior's words, began to grin at the thought of being the next mayor of Konoha.

oooOOooo

"Neh, Naruto, do you happen to have any space where I can train? I'd like to stretch my muscles before dinner."

After the long meeting with the Council, Naruto and Kakashi had walked back home. To their surprise and pleasure, Sasuke was in the middle of cooking dinner. The smell of charring leeks and garlic made Naruto's toes curl in delight.

"Yeah, we have the backyard. I'll show you."

Guiding Kakashi towards the back of the house, Naruto glanced into the kitchen and spotted Sasuke working hard at the stove. He turned back around and proceeded down the hallway before opening the back door, revealing the open dirt space. The sun was perhaps about an hour away from setting, and the light bathing the backyard gave everything a beautiful glow.

"This is perfect," Kakashi said as he surveyed the area then turned to look back at Naruto, "Don't wait up for dinner; I'll probably eat after a full session out here. If anything, just have Sasuke leave some dinner aside for me."

Nodding, Naruto retreated back into the house. He made his way to the kitchen, where he could hear the sounds of sizzling sauces and boiling water.

"Oh, hello, Master," Sasuke greeted as he turned back to the pot on the stove.

The blond could still see the terribly dark circles beneath the elf's eyes. However, they were considerably lighter, as if some sort of powder had been brushed on over them...

"Sasuke, come here."

Caught completely off-guard by Naruto's harsh tone, Sasuke turned off the stove and turned to Naruto. His bright, dark eyes stared innocently. Those dark circles, however - they had their own story and Sasuke was going to tell it.

Naruto held Sasuke's face and brushed his thumb underneath dark eyes. The elf squirmed and attempted to pull away, but stopped when bright, blue eyes stared him down. Sasuke, whose body went limp, shut his eyes as tanned thumb rubbed harshly, revealing the deep bags underneath his eyes.

"What's wrong, Sasuke?" Naruto asked quietly as he continued to rub, "It looks like you had a terrible night's sleep."

Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at Naruto before averting his gaze. He brought up a pale hand and wiped away the concealing powder, suddenly feeling as if it was better to be truthful to his master.

"I-"

"Naruto, is there a way for me to... oh, am I interrupting something?"

The most interesting sight beheld Kakashi as he came sauntering in asking for Naruto's help. The blond male, who had claimed he never thought of using Sasuke like _that_, stood so close to the elf, nearly holding him in an embrace. At least in the moment, it seemed as if they were comfortably nestled into one another.

Jumping away from his master, Sasuke's face began to flush and he went back to cooking. Naruto, on the other hand, reluctantly turned his attention to Kakashi.

"What did you need?"

Naruto and Kakashi exited the kitchen, leaving Sasuke fumbling as he attempted to cook the rest of dinner without burning it. He jumped when Naruto came back into the kitchen, and tried his best to avoid his master's gaze when he could.

"M-Master," Sasuke called quietly as he prepared the tea, "w-would it be all right if I slept in your room tonight? M-my room is a little drafty. And I think that's p-probably why I couldn't get to sleep last n-night."

Why he was stuttering of all times, Sasuke could only guess it was because of how bold his request was. Asking to sleep in his master's room? That was just asking for a beating, if it weren't Naruto. Even during his time as Kakashi's slave, he would have gotten a good hit or two if he had asked.

But if it could possibly prevent Kakashi from being able to come in and molest him at night, Sasuke would risk a beating.

Naruto, completely surprised by the request, took a moment to process what had been asked of him. He stuttered a bit before giving a proper response.

"I- uh, yeah, uh, sure! I mean, there's definitely no draft in my room. So yes, of course you can stay in my room tonight."

Relief lifted the burden that had been weighing Sasuke down all day. With a lighter heart, he gave Naruto the best smile he could and went back to cooking.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Hello again, everyone! I'd like to give a shout-out to _LurvirsLuvvie, **Harco8059**, **Emirri**, **roboguy45**, **Shane**, **sky6craZe**, Panda, skylerr, Baby-A, The Yaoi Pimpette, **BadButt94**, **izzy1229anime**, arenha,_ and_ He11'sDomain._ Those whose names are bolded have been repeat reviewers, which makes me very happy!

To _skylerr_: Thank you kindly for your kind words! I'm a huge stickler for details when it comes to food, so I'll sometimes even get a little carried away thinking about food while I write... :D

Also, as an aside to the reviewer _Panda_, I do appreciate you leaving your feedback, despite your discontinued readership. I know Kakashi is slightly (if not totally) OOC in this story, but it's just the way it is. By the way, that type of review is definitely not "crappy", but rather, an expression of your own opinion. I fully encourage that type of honesty, especially if it gives me insight as how to formulate future stories.

But anyway, this chapter's a bit shorter than usual. I've just been super stressed with classes, and I'm currently not doing as well in my darn accounting course_._ Even so, I feel that I've been making you all wait too long between updates, so I will try my best to close the time gap between chapters so that you don't get too out-of-touch with the story.

So I present to you the next chapter!

Though I'd like to warn you all in advance that the scenes toward the end of the chapter are super fluffy...forgive me.

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><p>Kakashi's absence during dinner was enough to brighten Sasuke's mood to new heights. As he and Naruto shared a peaceful, carefree dinner filled with chatter and jokes, the elf did not think things could get any better. He had only thought of taking refuge in Naruto's room on a whim, but the result would be more than satisfactory.<p>

"You seem to be in a good mood," his master noted as he reached for his tea cup.

Even Naruto had noticed. Sasuke just could not help himself. The day was going so well, despite what had happened in the early morning...

But he shook his head and refused to think about it any more. What had happened was horrible, and it would be in his (as well as Naruto's) best interest to disclose the attack to his master. However, it was something that Sasuke knew he could not simply blurt out on impulse. The relationship between Naruto and Kakashi would be strained, and that might go as far as to compromise the important mission his former master was leading.

No, he couldn't simply accuse the man and drive him out - not when he was such an important figure in the fight against traffickers of his people. And he couldn't bear the thought of burdening Naruto. After all, the man had barely recovered from nearly-fatal wounds. It wouldn't do to stress his master out any more than necessary.

Besides, the elf was more than capable of taking care of himself. He had been Kakashi's slave since he was born; no doubt he had picked up some of that man's expertise in covert operations.

At the very least, Sasuke would have to be more tactile in his maneuvers, to avoid any further assaults. He would also have to be careful not to arouse any suspicion from Naruto that there was anything strange going on between him and Kakashi.

And asking to sleep in Naruto's room, well, that was a stroke of genius that Sasuke had to give himself credit for.

"Perhaps my good mood stems from a slight case of delirium," Sasuke responded properly to Naruto, "Would it be all right if I moved my things to your room?"

Naruto grinned at him, then nodded as he reached over to pick up his sake cup, "Set up my futon too, will you? I'm feeling a bit under the weather as well, so let's sleep early."

Sasuke nodded, then got up from his seat and nearly skipped to his room to check up on his washed sheets. They were nearly dry, but not quite dry enough to use comfortably for the night. Taking it as a minimal loss (since he would much rather sleep with the comfort of knowing he wouldn't be molested), he went over to the cabinet and bent down to retrieve the folded futon.

"Running off to your master, are you now?"

Sasuke froze as he heard Kakashi from the doorway. The silver-haired man had a way of sneaking up on unsuspecting people. If the elf was not more careful, he would not be surprised if Kakashi would one day silently come up behind him and slit his throat. His heart left pounding, Sasuke slowed his breathing and turned to face his fear.

"What do you want?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow as he meandered into the room, crossing his arms over his chest as he did so. The elf stood his ground, making sure not to flinch or wince when the other male came a little too close. It was a test of not only his courage, but of Sasuke's resolve as well. He did not want this man, however involved or not he was with the past, barging in to his present life.

Sure, Sasuke was still a slave, and was still considered a second-class citizen at most. However, in comparison to when he was under Kakashi's "care", Naruto was a saint. And now, the very fact that Kakashi was back, haunting him like a troubled apparition would, Sasuke was having this throwback to worse times he did not want to recall.

"Oho, you really have gotten bold, Sasuke. You must be so glad your master tolerates _your kind_. But you were lucky this time. What will you do if your _precious_ master decides to get rid of you?" Kakashi asked as he grinned that Cheshire smile, "Will you come running right back to me?"

A rough hand reached out to touch Sasuke's face, but the elf turned his head away. No, he would not allow any of this _tomfoolery_ to start. In fact, Sasuke was so intent on stopping it all that he slapped away the hand that neared his face.

"You don't have the right to touch me, _Kakashi_."

Never before had he ever called this man by his name, and never had he called _anyone_ with such contempt. Sasuke glared hard into those grey, apathetic eyes. For years, he had to endure _everything_ this man had dished out to him. And for the first time, the elf realized that he didn't have to cave in anymore. With Naruto, he was under no obligation to fulfill any of this sick man's needs...or wants.

But even with this newly found resolve, his heart had never beat harder or faster. It felt as if he was staring Death in the face.

Death grinned, turned his head to the side, then thumbed the sword at his waist. "No, I suppose you're right. But I can always _take_ that right from your precious master, if I so please."

That damned sword - Sasuke felt himself freeze up at the thought of that merciless, sharp piece of metal. _No_, the sword itself wasn't evil, but Kakashi, at this moment, was emanating a sort of murderous aura that completely rendered the elf frozen with fright.

He recalled the time when Kakashi had effectively roused his phobia of swords. Back when Sasuke still had his mother, they were cleaning around the house for Kakashi's return from a long mission. However, when he came back he was completely drunk out of his mind and came stumbling into the house.

"Sasuke, keep cleaning in the kitchen. I'll bring Master into his room," his mother had told him.

They hobbled off towards the bedroom and she came out within minutes after tucking him in. Sasuke and his mother went to bed soon after, sharing a battered hand-me-down (of about five times) futon.

In the middle of the night, a still-drunk Kakashi had stumbled out of bed and stood over the sleeping elves, pointing a sword down at them and mumbling strange things.

Sasuke awoke from all the racket and, when he realized he was mere inches away from being sliced, panicked and screamed, scrambling away from the sword and causing Kakashi to give him a quick nick in the thigh. Despite the shallow wound, it blood had splattered all over the futon and sheets. Sasuke's mother had awoken by this time and was wrestling the sword out of their drunken master's hand until his grip had loosened.

Sasuke did not take a particular liking to swords after that. Kakashi didn't exactly remember that incident when morning came, but he had noticed the elf's phobia and began using that weakness as a way to put the elf in his place whenever he got even a little too rowdy. Suffice to say, the elf had not been the same since.

All the same, even despite his lifelong fear, Sasuke was more than intent to keep Naruto safe from harm. Even with his terribly beating heart, he was under no obligation to listen to this disturbed man. In fact, he was determined to make his own intentions clear - something he had never been able to do.

"Don't you _dare_ touch Naruto," Sasuke hissed as he puffed his chest out, making himself appear larger than he was.

Kakashi's eyes glimmered, and he seemed to be enjoying himself as he continued to stroke the hilt of his god damned sword. Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, there you are. Kakashi, do you want me to heat up your dinner?" Naruto asked as he came into the doorway.

Breaking his stare and turning to face Naruto, Kakashi responded, "I was just telling your elf what type of food I would like brought to my room, actually."

Turning right back to Sasuke, the silver-haired man winked. "I expect a hearty meal after my bath."

And with that, he turned on his heel and left the room, Naruto following after him to help set up the bath. Sasuke went right back to getting his futon and walked into his master's bedroom.

The elf scrunched his nose as he set down his futon and prepared Naruto's. He was disgusted by the way Kakashi looked at him, as he if were some piece of meat to devour.

It made him absolutely sick to the stomach.

oooOOooo

Sasuke didn't even wait for Kakashi to answer when he knocked on the guest bedroom door. With a composed mind, he slid the door open, walked in, set down the dinner tray, and made a beeline out the door. He didn't look over at the half-naked man who was resting with his back against the wall with a book in one hand, with the other hand ghosting over the tented towel around his waist...

Just steps away from the door, however, the elf began to slow, and his head, as if moving in slow motion, turned the slightest to look over at the grey-haired man. To his surprise, Kakashi was staring right at him, with his half-lidded eyes and lips parted open as his chest heaved.

"Sasuke," he moaned before shutting his eyes again and undoing his towel.

The elf stopped completely, having been taken over by the lust of his former master. The room suddenly became too hot. Sasuke's _body_ suddenly became too hot.

It was suddenly becoming too dangerous for him to remain in the room. By the way Kakashi was looking at him, the longer he remained in the room, the more likely he would be attacked.

_What are you doing, you idiot? Get out of here!_

It took all of his might to stumble out of that room, his body completely uncooperative, despite his mind's pleas to flee.

As soon as Sasuke shut the door behind him, he did his best to flush out Kakashi's deep moaning and groaning. He shut his eyes, only strengthening his hearing and amplifying those dirty, dirty sounds. Much to his despair, Sasuke could feel his lower regions heat and almost instantaneously, his cock was hard.

"No, no, no, no," Sasuke whispered in panic, keeping his eyes shut as he forced his palms over his ears.

Slowly, he made his way to the bathroom and locked the door behind him. It was still steamy from Kakashi's bath, and the added heat was making Sasuke more and more delirious.

He moved to the powder chair and nearly ripped his kimono off when he sat. The smooth material of his kimono slid over his sensitive body and he shivered at the feel.

Ashamed of himself, Sasuke gripped his cock at the base and gave a hard squeeze. His entire being shook violently. With just one full stroke, the elf's body was covered in sweat, and he seemed just about ready to pass out.

It was shameful. Sasuke could hardly bear the thought that he was touching himself after staring into his former master's lustful face. Gritting his teeth, he continued to stroke himself, punishing himself with the overbearing feeling of pleasure and pressure as it built up more and more by the second.

After a minute or two of feeling himself up, Sasuke realized that, attached to the powder table was a large mirror. Staring straight into his reflection, he was surprised - and nearly repulsed - at the type of lascivious face he was making.

Sasuke shut his eyes in response and continued to touch himself. Flashing images of Kakashi encouraged his pleasure further, as he thought of the larger man above him, using him as he wanted. This sick, twisted scene, replaying in his mind as if it was still fresh, as if he was still Kakashi's slave.

But occasionally, the images would flicker, and flashes of yellow hair would play in Sasuke's mind. The sudden warmth engulfed his body - his mind was surely playing tricks. But all the same, he could see glimpses of Naruto's warm, warm body and gentle face.

"Naruto," Sasuke whispered shakily as his strokes became faster and deeper.

He didn't even give himself a pause to think through his sudden calling for his new master. It had all been so sudden, being bought by the blond male and sharing his living space. Sasuke was so preoccupied with getting accustomed to his new living situation that he had wholly neglected his physical need to release.

Sasuke almost offered himself to Naruto on one occasion - well, he _had_ considered , but backed out at the very last second. Why had he been so afraid to say it? For fear of rejection? Or was he still reluctant with the idea of bedding another man other than Kakashi?

The bumbling tornado of scattered thoughts came to a still as Sasuke began to succumb, more and more, to the building pressure in his cock. He attempted to still his breathing, but it was becoming increasingly difficult as his orgasm came closer and closer to completion.

Mixed images of Kakashi and Naruto filled his mind, and Sasuke let out one last, guttural groan as he shot his seed into his hand and onto the top of the powder table. Riding out the last of his orgasm, the elf's entire body shook from the remnant electric shocks through his body.

Breathing hard, Sasuke slumped back into the chair and shut his eyes, suddenly feeling as if all his energy had been drained.

oooOOooo

Naruto was lying on his stomach, reading up on a recent mission report Tsunade had given him to look over. It wasn't the most interesting report, mostly because there was little to no anomaly - according to the report. But gosh, whoever wrote it had to be one of the driest people ever.

With the text starting to make less and less sense, and with his eyelids becoming heavier, Naruto eventually succumbed to his tiredness. He set aside the (boring) scroll and rested his head on his pillow, turning to sleep on his side. As he shut his eyes and started to drift off, however, Naruto could hear the door open.

Always apprehensive, even during sleep, it took little time for him to sit up and reach for the knife underneath his pillow. When he saw that it was just Sasuke, who barely looked fazed from the sharp edge glinting from the dim candle light, Naruto tucked it back beneath his pillow.

"Oh. It's just you, Sasuke."

The elf shut the door behind him and, like an apparition, glided over to the futons. He dropped to his knees and lied down on his side, his back facing Naruto.

"Oi," Naruto called out as he cocked an eyebrow, "are you all right?"

Sasuke exhaled a shuddering breath and, bringing his limbs close to his body, curled up into fetal position. "I'm fine."

Naruto sat up straight and craned his neck to try to sneak a glance at Sasuke's face. But when he figured out that it was impossible to do, he scooted closer to the other futon and bent his neck. The elf's eyes were opened, but they were dreamlike and were staring off to something distant.

Despite his prior liveliness, the Sasuke lying here now seemed wholly dispirited. He didn't even look up to acknowledge Naruto as he probably would have, if he was in a sound state of mind.

Something had happened when he fetched Kakashi's dinner. Even though Naruto offered to deliver it - the elf seemed all too spooked whenever they were in contact - Sasuke, in the end, insisted that he fulfill his duties around the house.

Whatever had happened, though, he figured it was best to leave Sasuke be until the elf decided to disclose his discomforts out of his own volition.

And speaking of discomforts...

"Oi, where are your sheets, Sasuke?"

The elf fidgeted a little, scratched his arm nervously, and cracked his toes before answering. "In my room. I washed them earlier and they're still wet."

Naruto sighed. He got up and went over to the drawers and attempted to find extra sheets. However, as expected, there were none lying around. He had given his only extra set of sheets to Sasuke, which were, according to him, still wet.

"You don't have to get me anything," Sasuke said softly.

The blond male turned and spotted the sliver of skin from Sasuke's slightly-opened kimono. He inhaled through his nose sharply and pursed his lips. Damn Kakashi, for putting awkward thoughts in his head.

_They need the sexual release just as much as we do, if not more..._

Turning his head away to stop himself from looking any more, Naruto reluctantly said, "We can share our sheets for tonight, then...just until your sheets are dry."

He briskly and stiffly made his way back to his futon. Sasuke was staring strangely at him, and it was only a moment or two of silence before Naruto snapped his neck to the elf and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Well? Come over here. We'll have to share the futon as well, since the sheet isn't large enough to cover both futons."

Naruto didn't quite know why he was being cranky all of a sudden. It wasn't as if Sasuke had done anything wrong, and it certainly wasn't fair for him to take out this spike of frustration on him. The elf bowed his head and scooted closer.

The blond scooted to one side of the futon and lifted the blanket as an invitation for the elf to join him. As Sasuke got under the covers with him, Naruto could feel his body and face heat up. Was he embarrassed, perhaps? After all, the blond hadn't so openly shared a bed with the intention of anything other than sex before.

They sat awkwardly next to one another with the sheets covering their legs. Sasuke, with his hands folded in his lap and his eyes looking down at nothing in particular, and Naruto, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as he turned his head away to look anywhere else, said nothing.

But it was Sasuke who broke the pregnant silence, with his soft, gentle voice, "Th-thank you, Naruto."

And with that, the elf lied down and snuggled into the sheets before turning to sleep on his side, his back facing Naruto.

With a smile gradually forming on his face, Naruto followed suit and snuggled deep into the sheets himself. But instead of turning his back to Sasuke, he curled his entire body so that the smaller body was nestled into him.

"Naruto, what are you doing-?"

"Please, Sasuke, if you don't mind, I'd really like to try sleeping like this for the night."

It was a purely instinctual reaction for Naruto, to completely spoon Sasuke's body. He didn't even think twice about it. Not only did it seem right, but also, the heat emanating between them and getting trapped in the sheets was all too comfy to not do.

So sleeping like this, Naruto reasoned, was a perfectly practical arrangement.

Perfectly practical...

oooOOooo

In the morning, Sasuke was the first to wake. He had barely gotten any sleep, on the account of having had those terribly vivid, terribly _intimate_ scenes involving Kakashi. The sun had barely begun to rise, and the cool dawn nipped at his toes as they stuck out from under the sheets.

However, his body was completely warm - and was, perhaps, a little _too_ warm. He felt the strong, tanned arm wrap tighter around him as Sasuke attempted to get up from his spot. He momentarily forgot his sleeping arrangement, and looked down at his master to see that he was still fast asleep. Naruto mumbled a couple things, then went right back to lightly snoring.

Sasuke remained still as he waited for the perfect moment to get up and not disturb Naruto. He shimmied right back underneath his sheets to wait it out, but it was just so damn comfortable sharing this futon with his master...

...that he fell right back asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Hello, my lovelies! I apologize for having taken so much time between chapters. I'm still struggling a bit with my coursework, but it's been significantly better for me as of late. In fact, I've been so much better that I managed to bust out another chapter within a few days for you all to ingest.

A very special thank you to _roboguy45_, The Smiling Fox, _Emirri_, Pen-Name-Kitsune-chan, Rose202, _Dragon77_, _yamiatemyugi_, bookwormqueen7, _BadButt94_, Lumina Lulison, _Baby-A_, and cynder81 (to those of you who have received the special repeat-reviewer italics, a huge word of thanks)! And of course to all of the other reviewers who took the time to leave feedback for my other chapters. You all have my eternal gratitude. Seriously.

Now, this chapter may seem a little odd in plot, with seemingly large (in my opinion, at least) plot holes. But it does have some substance to it, I promise! And the chapter is a little longer than usual, so I apologize if it's too much to take in at once. Also, I noticed that my writing style tends to fluctuate with the seasons, so if some parts of the chapter seem fluffier than usual...I apologize. The sun has been shining brightly where I live, so it's hard not to be happy and oh-so-fluffy.

A word of warning: this chapter contains a very emotionally unstable Sasuke. So if you don't like it when the poor thing has emotions...well, then, I can only suggest you skip this chapter. He's really a mess here.

So I hope you enjoy (or at least don't get turned off by this chapter).

EDIT: Holy _moly_! You guys blew me right out of the water when I saw my story statistics! Thank you so much for adding me to your favorites and to your alerts! Golly!

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><p>When Sasuke awoke, he realized the bedspace next to him was empty. The initial reaction was to panic; did that mean that he was alone with Kakashi? He wrapped his kimono around his body tightly and got up, heading towards the guest room to take a peek. Call him crazy for looking into the lion's mouth, but he'd be damned if he didn't at least check to see if his worrying was justified.<p>

He tiptoed quietly to the guest room, sliding the door open and using one eye to look through the sliver. Much to his relief, the room was empty, save for the futon that was strewn in the middle of the floor. Sasuke walked in and cleared the futon, folding it and putting it away neatly.

Sasuke headed back to put away Naruto's futon as well. By the time he was done adjusting his master's room, rolling up and putting away the various mission reports laid out on the low-sitting desk, he decided it was time for him to bathe. As he finished up soaping his body, the elf heard the front door slam, then the quick and heavy footsteps that approached the bathroom.

"It's occupied!" Sasuke shouted in a panic before sinking deeper into the tub, forgetting that he had left the bathroom door unlocked.

"I need to ask you a favor, Sasuke," Kakashi said as he barged in anyway.

Scrambling for a towel, the elf splashed the water over the rim of the tub to wrap the cloth around him and sat right back down in the water, rendering his towel completely useless. His body was flushed with the embarrassment of getting caught in the bathroom, though none of it was necessarily his own fault.

"Get out!" Sasuke yelled, crossing his arms over his chest, "Get out! Get out! Get out!"

Kakashi leaned against the door frame and shut his eyes. "I won't look. Sasuke, I need to ask you for a favor."

Grumbling, the elf furrowed his eyebrows and remained in the tub. It was just like Kakashi to do something like that, with no regards to anyone else other than himself. He was beyond the point of being afraid of this man; rather, he was embarrassed - almost on Kakashi's behalf - for having seen his wanton activities.

"What do you want?" Sasuke mumbled, still apprehensive.

The silver-haired man, with his eyes still closed, scratched at his neck. He looked particularly harried, as if someone had rubbed him the wrong way for way too long.

"You remember the mission I was hired for, right? Well, it seems that I'll need a decoy to lure out the nasties who've been trafficking your kind. And since you're getting all prettied up...how about doing me this one favor?"

Sasuke stared. He stared hard at his former master, who had the nerve to come into his life again and _take advantage_of Naruto's hospitality, as well as his own!

Just as the elf got up from the tub, with his water-laden towel and everything, Kakashi replied, "Now, before you say no, just think about the others you'll be helping, if we catch these assholes. You'd be a hero."

Sasuke paused in his movement. Though he had little respect for his former master, the man did have a point. If he could even be a small part in stopping the terrorization of his kin...

"As an added bonus, I swear to leave you alone after this mission. No more harassment from me. I promise."

And that just sealed the deal.

oooOOooo

Sasuke shivered as the cool afternoon breeze blew through the shady forest. It was late afternoon, and the sun was just beginning to give way for the coming of the night. The elf took a deep breath of the fresh air and crossed his arms in front of his chest as he walked alongside Kakashi.

"Okay, you'll head in that direction, towards the clearing between the trees. Do you see it? Good. Now, you'll eventually run into the campsite of some warriors from Sound. They'll capture you and I'll follow close by until they meet up with their connections from Water Country. Got it?"

This wasn't what Sasuke was expecting. He looked up at Kakashi, who seemed so composed and sure that his plan will work. But Sasuke, on the other hand, was starting to feel an inkling of doubt crawl up the back of his neck and spread throughout his entire body.

Now that he was unsure of this whole plan (which involved him walking right into the maw of danger), Sasuke wasn't quite sure if Kakashi was thinking this whole thing through with the elf's best interest in mind. But he had volunteered, and now wasn't the time to suddenly back out.

Swallowing the large lump that was beginning to form in his throat, Sasuke stepped forward and turned back to look at Kakashi.

"If things start going wrong, you'll get me out of there...right?"

Why, of all times, Sasuke was deciding to place his life in Kakashi's hands, he wasn't sure. At this point, he had really no choice, but there was no explanation as to why the thought hadn't occurred to him before.

"Don't worry. I'll be right behind you. Now go on; we don't have much time before they decide to head out."

And so Sasuke went. He walked as casually as he could, though with every step his legs were shaking. The closer he got to the clearing, the more nervous and shaken up he was. Looking behind him, he realized Kakashi was completely out of sight.

The deeper into the trees he got, the clearer he could hear the men in their camp. Sasuke finally made his way in and saw, from the corner of his eye, that the men had started a fire and were cooking some gross slop in a cooking pot. The unpleasant mixture of smells made Sasuke's stomach churn, and he was too busy trying not to cough that he stepped on one end of a particularly large branch. The other end swung up and knocked Sasuke down onto the ground, causing a large commotion that stole all of the men's attention at the campsite.

"What was that?" Sasuke heard one of them ask apprehensively.

"Don't be an idiot. Go see what it is," another gruff voice responded.

Sasuke couldn't even bring himself to get up fast enough. By the time he was back on his feet, two men had made their way over and spotted him. Instinctually, the elf, with wide eyes and shaking limbs, darted off. Behind him, he could hear the shouting of the men, all of who were scrambling to catch up with him.

If he had known things were going to turn out like this, with his lungs burning and heart beating so terribly fast, Sasuke was more than certain he would not have voluntarily signed up for this. He continued to run, weaving through trees and ducking under branches.

But his legs were not meant for sprinting or long-distance running. Breathing was beginning to hurt, and the air he so desperately gulped down seemed to do him no good.

"He's right up ahead! Get him!"

Sasuke's ears perked up to the sounds behind him; they were gradually coming closer and closer. In an instant, a lasso looped over him, pressing his arms flush against his body, and stopped him dead in his tracks as the rope grew taut. He fell hard onto the dirt ground, grimacing as he felt his delicate skin scrape on the rough textures around him.

"I got him! I actually got him!"

The rest of the men caught up with Sasuke and his captor. They all crowded around him and stared at him as if he were some animal on display. Sasuke scowled at each and every one of them, but said nothing.

"He really _is _an elf! You were right, Ryouichi!"

"Of course I'm right. Just look at those ears, dumbass!"

"Well, I can't tell, Ryouichi! Look at how pale his skin is! He could have been the son of some noble, for all we know. Look at the kimono he has on, too! You can't expect most elves to have anything better to wear than rags!" the other man replied angrily.

Sasuke squirmed in the ropes, but the others went ahead and held him down as they secured the ropes around him. Before he knew it, he was being carried off, ass in the air as he was thrown over one of the men's shoulders.

"Let me go, you oaf!" Sasuke yelled as he nudged his knee into his carrier's chest. However, it did not seem to faze his carrier, and instead, the elf was outright ignored by the rest of the men.

"Think Water Country would pay us a premium for this one?" one of them asked.

"Of course! He'll probably end up getting bought by a high-paying whorehouse or a nobleman and we'll get our cut of the deal."

Slumping his body over his carrier's tough shoulder, Sasuke let himself be carried back to the camp. He looked around the forest, desperately searching for any sign of Kakashi. However, much to his dismay, he could not see even a flash of that silver hair.

When they reached the camp, Sasuke's nose burned. An eroding smell reached his nose, causing his sinuses to react in ways he never thought possible. None of these idiots had put out the fire to the cooking spit, so their food that had been cooking was burnt to an inedible state.

"Ah, what the hell? No one bothered to watch the food?"

The group of men all started to argue angrily back and forth with one another. But Sasuke's carrier remained silent, setting the elf on the floor and making sure to secure his ropes to a tree. When Sasuke got a look at his carrier's face, he saw that the man could not have been older than his late twenties. They stared at each other for a moment but then the burly man turned away and joined his comrades around the cooking spit.

Sasuke sighed and remained still, hoping to god that Kakashi would come for him soon.

oooOOooo

The dusk welcomed him when Sasuke awoke. He had no recollection of when he had fallen asleep, but now the forest was much darker than he had remembered it. The trees looked much more menacing than he could have imagined, with their twisting branches poking out at him.

He awoke when the burly man who had held him earlier was untying him from the tree. Sasuke stared at him, but the man did not so much as look at him for even a brief second. The other men were packing up their things, and the fire was just mere embers. How long had it been since he had been captured?

"Hey, hurry up, Shinjiro! We need to meet with Water before dawn, and we still have to retrieve the others."

The others? Sasuke wondered just how many others these grimy folk had rounded up. He gave his most fowl scowl that he could muster at the group of them, but none of them seemed to be paying any real attention to him or to the man by him.

Shinjiro, Sasuke's carrier, grunted in response and lifted the elf easily over his shoulder as if he were nothing more than a sack of rice. Sasuke let out a grunt as the wind was knocked out of him. He sighed and kneed Shinjiro in the chest, trying to get him to let him go.

"The less you struggle, the better it'll be for you."

Sasuke stopped kicking as he felt Shinjiro's deep tenor voice resound throughout his body. He quieted down and stopped moving, his body limp as they made their way through the forest.

For hours they walked, stopping every so often to take bathroom breaks and rehydration breaks. Shinjiro would put him down but wouldn't even bother tying him up against anything. Perhaps he knew just how weak Sasuke was, and how inanimate he seemed other than kneeing him in the chest. And even at one point, the burly man came over with a canteen of water, dribbling whatever drops were left into Sasuke's mouth. Goodness knew that the elf was beginning to get a little woozy from virtually hanging upside down, and what little rehydration he was allowed helped him feel less terrible.

Eventually, they stopped walking. Sasuke had no idea what was going on, being slumped over Shinjiro's shoulder. But he could hear the rustling behind him, and what sounded like a heavy rock rubbing against more rock. Then he heard hissing, familiar sounds of his elven kin.

"Get up, all of you!"

More hissing, then a yelp from one of the men: "God damn it, the fucker bit me!" Sasuke cringed when he heard the harsh sound of what he could only guess was a slap, followed closely by a pathetic whine.

"Can I kill this one? She looks like she's about to die anyway."

Sasuke shut his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows. The malice in that man's voice...it gave the elf a sick feeling in his stomach. He tried his best to keep still and not shiver from fear. However, even when he started to shake a little, Shinjiro readjusted Sasuke on his shoulder and repositioned his hand onto the middle of his back. If Sasuke wasn't in such a compromised state, he could have sworn that his carrier was trying to _comfort _him.

"Kenji, we're not going to kill off our profits just because your pride's been hurt. The money we're getting for this lot will be more than enough to make up for what you lack."

The group of men laughed, sans Shinjiro and Kenji. Sasuke listened closely as the group started to move again - this time, with five more pairs of feet shuffling along.

It wasn't for another couple hours until they stopped again. The sky was just starting to turn purple, the sun eager to peek out from beneath the horizon. There was silence, then the sound of the elves being shoved, their feet stumbling over one another. Being slumped over Shinjiro's back did not do Sasuke any good; he could not see anything that was going on in front of them. He had to rely heavily on his sense of hearing to deduce anything.

"No one followed you, I hope?"

Sasuke shivered involuntarily. He could recognize that serpentine voice anywhere. The way he enunciated his every word, sounding so smooth and alluring that you wouldn't even know if he had just manipulated you - Sasuke could recall every waking, torturing moment he spent with this man.

"Not a single soul since we rounded up this last one."

Listening to the footsteps approach, Sasuke soon came face-to-face with none other than Orochimaru, who stared at up him with his golden, lustful eyes. That gross tongue came out to wet his top lip, and he looked absolutely gleeful that this elf had crossed his path once again.

"Well, isn't this a coincidence, Sasuke? You've been a bad boy, haven't you, running away from home?"

Orochimaru reached out with his long, thin fingers and traced Sasuke's jawline. The elf, in response, turned his head away as much as he could, retreating from the man's touch.

"Let him down. Now."

Shinjiro placed Sasuke onto his feet, and the elf barely managed to stay still for more than a few seconds before swaying. The snake-like man reached out and grabbed his shoulder, gripping him a little harder than necessary.

"I'd like to see if he's been...used since I last sold him off."

Orochimaru near-threw him onto the ground, and Sasuke grunted at the impact. The ropes around Sasuke were untied, and the smooth material of Sasuke's kimono was totally stripped off him. They then bound his wrists together, as well as his ankles. He was left completely vulnerable to the man hovering above him.

The ground felt damp from the cool night. Sasuke nearly yelled in surprise when he was suddenly turned over by Orochimaru. Those clammy hands gripped at his thighs, and the elf screamed out in mercy.

Everything in the next minute happened so fast, Sasuke wasn't sure if everything was in the right sequential order. He was mere milliseconds away from being _violated_ by that disgusting serpentine man before he heard a _thunk _and those hands were off of him. Looking up, he realized that Shinjiro had pounded his fist into the back of Orochimaru's head, and had rendered him completely unconscious.

"What the hell, Shinjiro?"

The burly man removed a rather large dagger from his belt and cut Sasuke loose before throwing him his kimono - which he had apparently been holding. He brandished the dagger in front of him, making sure to scare the other men. One didn't need more than a second to bolt off, but before he could get anywhere, there was a flash of metal and then a spray of blood. Sasuke stared with wide eyes as Kakashi came out from the cluster of trees.

"So you disgusting vermin decided to kidnap some elves for a quick buck, huh?"

The group of men were huddled into their own cluster, none of them wanting to be the forefront against the silver-haired swordsman. One turned behind them and called out desperately.

"Shinjiro! Help us!"

Kakashi chuckled lowly, making sure to build up into an audible, mocking laughter. "Shinjiro? I'm afraid you've mistaken this fine gentleman for someone else. Am I right, Asuma?"

Sasuke stared at the man who had carried him for hours on end. So this man, Asuma, was actually working with Kakashi the whole time?

"Yeah," the man Sasuke knew as Shinjiro, but who was revealed to be Asuma, replied, "none of these pieces of shits gave me any reason to believe that they were worth letting go. I say you do what you want with them, Kakashi. I'll start bringing these elves back to Konohagakure."

The huddled men did not even argue as Asuma herded the elves, five of whom were all tied together, over towards Sasuke. The elf had never been so grateful for his kimono, which was now wrapped tightly around him again. Asuma then took the lead, gesturing the elves to follow.

"Come this way. We have a wagon nearby."

The elves seemed reluctant to follow. However, Sasuke spoke to them softly assuring them that they were now safe. At least temporarily appeased, the tied group stumbled through the trees for about ten minutes before they reached a clearing. Waiting for them was Asuma, who stood by a horse-pulled wagon.

Sasuke helped Asuma cut each of their rope bindings off them, taking care not to hurt them in the process. They were each loaded onto the wagon, then Asuma boosted up Sasuke as well. The burly man climbed up to the front, sitting down and hedging the horse forward.

It wasn't until an hour into the ride that one of the elves started to break down. Sasuke deduced she was the one who had brazenly bitten one of the traffickers. He felt his heart strain at the anguish from her cries. Soon enough, the entire group, including Sasuke, was in tears.

Asuma said nothing and didn't even turn around to check up on the elves; he knew enough to give them time to release all the fear and torture they had endured for the last couple days.

And he could only imagine how they felt.

oooOOooo

Naruto darted back and forth in the front hall, waiting and waiting for someone, _anyone_, to come home. Both Sasuke and Kakashi had been gone for the past day, and despite all his searching, he could not find them anywhere. He hadn't even realized either of them were missing until he came home a few hours ago after spending much time with Tsunade to come up with a reasonable argument to bring up during the deliberation with the Council.

He had been gone from the house for so long, and when he had come home, he noticed a messy note that Kakashi had no doubt scrawled: _Out with Sasuke. Be back soon. - Kakashi_

Now, whatever the concise and ambiguous note meant, Naruto could not be sure. He thought up of all the possibilities - some good, some bad. In every case, however, he could not help but think that Kakashi had some ulterior motives with his elf. _His _elf!

And so his frantic thinking continued. The blond had thought to go out to search for them, but he did not want to seem paranoid. What if they were just out on a long stroll through the woods? They wouldn't be unsafe; after all, Kakashi was a trained swordsman. He would be able to fend off any attackers, right?

Just as the blond was about to head out to search for them (it was just about morning now), he heard hooves and a rickety sound right outside. Looking out the window, he let out a huge breath of relief and rushed outside.

"Kakashi, I'm going to _kill _you!"

oooOOooo

Sasuke woke up, and once again, he could not remember when he had fallen asleep. Vaguely, he recalled Naruto's voice off in the distance...but he had sounded _angry_. And after drifting in and out of sleep for a few minutes, he was suddenly curled up underneath a very comfortable blanket, where he fell asleep for god knows how long.

So when he awoke to find himself in Naruto's room, he was surprised to see all the familiar things he had come to know. He was alone, and almost immediately he panicked about the other elves. Picking himself up, Sasuke exited the bedroom and stopped in his tracks when he realized Kakashi and Naruto were in the middle of a very heated fight in the guest bedroom.

"Are you out of your mind? Do you have any idea how much danger you put Sasuke through? He could have actually been sold off, or violated, or _killed_! What would you have done then, come to me and just apologize for my loss?"

"I did what was best. They were on their way to meet their correspondent, and to wait for the fucking Council to give their approval - how long would that have taken? Days, at best! We couldn't wait any longer. Sasuke did what he thought was right; no one forced him to help me!"

"Yeah, I'll bet," Naruto retorted, his anger flaring, "He probably didn't even know what he was getting himself into! Making him act as bait - I don't even understand how you found that to be even remotely logical!"

By then, Naruto and Kakashi were within arm's distance of each other, their bodies facing one another. For a few moments, they said nothing and did nothing. They were in a staredown, and the intensity of the moment sizzled and crackled, as if they were both on the verge of releasing their anger in shockwaves.

The elf nearly shrank back in fear as he realized that Naruto's normally-blue eyes were darkening to almost a grey, much like how a beautiful spring sky would turn dark before an approaching storm. Likewise, Kakashi's dark, void-like eyes seemed to redden, his frustration seeming to vortex out of control.

And as if they had silently agreed to a duel, both of them drew their swords from the sheaths hung from their obi. The slight, subtle ringing sound as they slid their swords out rang terribly in Sasuke's ears. He barged into the room, not even caring that he interrupted the two idiot humans in the middle of a fight.

"Stop it, both of you!"

The two were so engaged in their argument that they had barely any time to react to the sudden outburst from the elf. They stared, wide-eyed and jaws slack. Sasuke glared at the both of them, glancing back and forth as he looked for any signs of movement. When they seemed still, he dropped to his knees and bowed to them.

"I'm sorry for barging in like this, but please," Sasuke said as he looked up at Naruto, "Master, please don't blame Kakashi for any of this. He only asked me as a favor, but I insisted on helping."

Naruto, with his wide eyes brightening back to clear blue, could only stare at the elf who was nearly kissing his feet, asking for forgiveness. The elf bowed deeply again, his forehead touching the rough texture of the tatami floor mat.

"If I hadn't offered to help, who knows where those other elves could have ended up. So please, I ask you to forgive Kakashi. I risked my own life, but it was worth saving the others!"

By then, the tears streaming out of Sasuke's eyes were endless, dripping down from his eyelashes and soaking into the floor. He could barely contain himself; he had actually saved his kin from lifelong terrors of being shipped off to unfamiliar places, of being prodded and poked at by ruthless, ruthless humans. But it was all at the expense of his own mental well-being, and he realized at that moment that he just could not take the fear of being trafficked anymore - not when he had been exposed to such a friendly and warming atmosphere that his master offered.

"P-please," Sasuke stuttered, his speech becoming babbled from the sudden outpour of emotion, "Naruto, Kakashi, don't fight anymore. We _saved_ the others. If there's anyone to punish, _please_, take it all out on me."

The silence that resounded throughout the room after that was deafening, and threatened to push and burst through Sasuke's eardrums. He sat up, but remained staring at the floor. His body shook from each shuddering breath he took as the elf attempted to calm himself down. In that dreadful, dreadful silence, however, it was as if they were testing his emotional limits.

Naruto sighed, then sheathed his sword. Kakashi followed suit, though the silver-haired man seemed less sympathetic of the groveling elf.

"Sasuke, go back to the bedroom and rest some more. I'll deal with you later."

The elf tipped his head and got up shakily. He was almost afraid to ask the next question that had been gnawing at him since he woke up. "What happened to the others?"

"They're in your bedroom resting. Check up on them after you've slept some more," Naruto said.

As Sasuke left the guest room and shut the door behind him, he could hear the low rumbles of Naruto's and Kakashi's voices. They made sure to speak as quietly as they could, but the harshly-whispered words still had just as much anger in them as when they were yelling.

Making his way back to Naruto's bedroom, Sasuke had one foot into the room before he backed out and went for his bedroom. Despite Naruto's request, he wanted to check up on the others _now_. Besides, he wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that he could just so easily walk into the other room to see them.

When he opened his bedroom door, Sasuke reveled in the sight. Four of the others were sleeping on his futon that had been laid out for them. In the corner sat Asuma, who was casually looking over a shogi board with one of the elves. Asuma looked up and grinned, gesturing Sasuke to come over.

"Hey, come and help me out here. Shikamaru's destroying me!"

Sasuke padded his way over, looking the other elf known as Shikamaru up and down, noticing that he had his hair tied up in a rather large ponytail. He looked at Asuma's grinning face, then down at the shogi board. Moving a piece to another square, the human male whistled low.

"Geez, you guys sure are something."

At that, Sasuke smiled. He looked down at Shikamaru, who was staring up at him.

"Thank you. You know, for saving us. None of us thought we'd ever be saved, once we'd been caught."

Those words of thanks hit Sasuke hard and he felt his body heat up in humility.

"I didn't do it by myself."

"But you were willing to put yourself on the line like that. I really admire you for that - we all do. So thanks."

Shikamaru extended a hand out to Sasuke, who stared at it in wonder. The other elf reached out to grab his pale hand and shook it.

"It's a handshake. Foreigners use it for a myriad of things, but in this context, I mean it in gratitude and camaraderie."

Sasuke stared at his entwined hand with Shikamaru, then pulled back gently.

"Oh."


	9. Chapter 9

**EDIT:** One reviewer had a very good point that the graphic scene between Sasuke and Kakashi should have been hinted at. I've removed that portion (and, as such, have adhered to FFN's regulations as well). But for those of you who are interested in reading the full length story (with the goody bits and all), you can find it on my Tumblr at _**sumi-shinzou**_. See you there!

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><p>When Naruto came barging into the bedroom, he flung the door open so fast that Sasuke stood up in his spot. The elf did not dare to move, much less open his mouth to say anything as Naruto came shuffling in noisily, the sound of his bare feet slapping onto the tatami mat resounding through the room.<p>

Staring quietly as he watched his master undo his obi, the elf clenched his hands into fists, wondering and assessing whether now would be a good time for him to say something.

"Master…" Sasuke mewed quietly.

There was no audible answer, but Naruto seemed to wrench off his sword before letting it drop from his hands with a clang.

Sasuke pursed his lips, then called out a little louder.

The blond male removed his hakama, donning only a white kimono that had a gradation of color into dark navy at the bottom. Tiredly, he threw the hakama onto the table and finally turned his attention to the elf, who immediately flushed at the eyeful of beautifully tanned chest that was (inadvertently) presented before him. Sasuke swallowed hard, his mouth becoming dry.

"What is it?"

The sternness in his master's voice caused Sasuke to shrink back, and suddenly, he regretted even raising his voice in the first place. He fiddled with his hands nervously, and Naruto's strong gaze held him in his place, those now dark blue eyes mesmerizing and paralyzing the elf.

Naruto was angry, but he was dangerously composed. That was, Sasuke thought, the worst kind of reaction – the cold, calculating demeanor his master was donning now only reminded him of his days with Kakashi.

The elf mustered up a little courage and, with a clumsy stutter, said, "I'm – I'm sorry."

His master crossed his arms in front of his chest and remained stern.

"Do you even know why you're apologizing, Sasuke? Do you even know why I'm angry? You went along with Kakashi on a dangerous mission that wasn't even approved by the Council, and I knew nothing of it until you came home. Do you have any idea how worried I was? Did you even think about how much trouble I would get into?"

Casting his eyes downward, Sasuke said nothing in response. He felt guilty, but all the same, he could not regret saving the elves. Looking back up at Naruto, he puffed his chest a little.

"What else should I have done? I helped save the others. If we hadn't acted when we did, those elves would be in Water Country right now, being sold off as we speak. Tell me, Naruto, almighty human – what did I do wrong?"

The blond male before him furrowed his eyebrows and frowned heavily. He took two steps towards the elf, and before Sasuke knew it, his cheek was stinging from his master's harsh slap. Touching his tender skin with his fingertips, the smaller male looked incredulously at Naruto.

"Don't ever speak to me like that. As an elf, you should know your place."

Sasuke glared at his master. He knew that tone of voice – the loathing…hatred. As if his instincts suddenly kicked in, Sasuke lunged forward and swung his right arm. He felt his nails scratch the skin of Naruto's chin, eliciting a hiss from the blond. Sasuke tried to swing again, this time with his left arm. His master, in response, grabbed both the elf's wrists and gripped them tight.

"Let go of me!" Sasuke yelled as he shut his eyes, tears forming at the corners of his eyes, "Let GO of me!"

"So you think you're some hero now, putting yourself in a situation like that? Did you even consider how dangerous it could have been? Or did you just blindly follow Kakashi's orders?"

At the last comment, Sasuke let out a cry and squirmed in Naruto's grasp. He was a crying mess now, with all of his emotions coming in at once.

Sasuke was scared. He had been so scared when Orochimaru had his hands all over him, and those greedy, yellow eyes memorizing every inch of his skin. Of course he wanted to avoid danger, but hadn't he done well? Weren't those elves worth the risk?

But he couldn't clearly express his fear, and the hollow feeling in his gut gave him no comfort. He cried out in delirium, barely understanding himself what he was spouting out angrily, "You're an idiot! I hate you! And every fucking human! You're all the same!"

Naruto paused, those hardened, blue eyes locking the elf into an inescapable enchantment. Sasuke glared right back, attempting to shake himself loose from those tan hands but failing rather miserably. He was not thinking straight anymore, nor was he even thinking through his course of action.

The impasse ended fairly quickly when Sasuke sent a projectile of spit onto Naruto's scarred cheek. His master did not move for quite some time, but the elf watched as the offending fluid dribbled down to his chin, down to where he had scratched him earlier.

It was not surprising to Sasuke when he suddenly found himself with his back on the floor, unable to breathe for a few moments when he got the wind knocked out of him. His eyes widened fearfully when he noticed that Naruto's face had become completely void of emotion.

"We're all the same? Okay, Sasuke. If you think we're all the same, then I have no choice but to do like everyone else."

And with that, Naruto took Sasuke's small wrists in one hand and, with the other, slipped his hand under the beautifully adorned, blue kimono fabric. The elf yelped when he felt his master's warm hand travel over the expanse of his pale, smooth chest. His breathing was coming in shallow as he was touched in all the right places...

"P-please, don't -"

He could not help but fall completely helpless as his face began to burn in embarrassment and lust. Letting out a wanton moan, Sasuke pressed his lips together in a lame attempt to be quiet.

Sasuke opened his eyes (which he hadn't realized he had closed) when the bedroom door opened. He never felt more relieved seeing Kakashi's head pop into the room.

"Naru - oh, well, I'll just speak with you later."

And just like that, Kakashi left the room. Luckily for Sasuke, that interruption was just enough to wake up Naruto from his delirium. Naruto looked down at Sasuke, who was panting beneath him with his kimono dishevelled and nearly torn off his body. The blond male climbed off of him and stood, looking quite ashamed at his behavior.

"I- Sas- I'm..."

The elf sat up and wrapped his kimono around his shoulders, with his half-lidded eyes gazing up at Naruto. His master swallowed the lump in his throat when he noticed that Sasuke was just as aroused as he was.

"I'm sorry," Naruto said breathlessly, "I didn't- I never meant-"

Sasuke bowed his head, concealing his eyes beneath silky tresses. Within the elf was a storm of rogue thoughts. He had never felt so dejected, yet so turned on at the same time. Was he some sort of masochist?

The elf felt even more alone when he watched Naruto leave the room wordlessly.

oooOOooo

Naruto trudged out of his room and paused for a moment in the hall, wildly wondering what he should do in his situation. The first course of action, he decided, was to get rid of his incessant hard-on. Immediately, he thought of going to the brothel. It had been some time since he was last there, after all.

He tried his best to conceal himself as he quickly rushed over to the somewhat decrepit building at the edge of town. When he entered the brothel, he was greeted by the familiar, musky scent of sandalwood and lavender, which was making him feel so heady and unfocused at the moment. As the head lady came out from behind the bead curtain, she opened her arms wide at the sight of him.

"Mr. Uzumaki! What a pleasure it is to have you back! I thought you had picked up a girl and settled down, with how infrequent you were visiting. So! What is it you would like to have today?"

Upon entering the building, Naruto realized he was sweating a good amount. Fidgeting with his kimono sleeve, the blond cleared his throat and wiped at his forehead.

"Hello, Karin. Any dark-haired one will do."

With the curt way he responded to her, Karin understood that he was in no mood for chit-chat. She glanced at him curiously as she browsed through the files of her servicers. Pulling out a photo from one of the folders, she handed it over for Naruto to take a look.

His mouth going slightly dry, Naruto gave the photo back and replied, "Is she available right now?"

"Of course. I can have her meet you in the Sapphire room in five minutes," Karin said as she wrote a couple things down onto a slip of paper, "Would you like anything else brought into the room? Any drinks, perhaps a smoke or two...?"

Naruto shook his head as he made his way towards the doorway concealed by a dark, linen curtain. He was already down the hall towards the Sapphire room when his servicer tapped his shoulder from behind. When he turned to face her, his face immediately flushed as her bright, dark eyes looked up at him.

"Mr. Uzumaki? My name is Sachiko. Karin told me you seemed in a hurry. Please, let us make our way to the Sapphire room."

She hooked her arm around Naruto's and led him to their room. Once inside, Naruto barely wasted a moment, pushing Sachiko up against the door as soon as she closed it. Feverishly, he pressed his lips onto hers, desperately searching for an end to his maddening escapade.

oooOOooo

Kakashi curiously poked his head out of his room, watching Naruto's back as he exited his bedroom and headed to the front of the house. When the silver-haired man realized that his old friend was leaving the house, he reckoned that the duo had not proceeded with their illicit affair, as he had hoped.

He made his way to Naruto's bedroom after waiting a moment or two by his door. However, as soon as he reached the door, one of the elves he had saved roamed into the hallway from Sasuke's bedroom. They stared at one another, neither speaking a word to each other.

"Go back into the room, little one," Kakashi gestured to him.

The elf raised his eyebrow and retreated back into the room with no qualms. However, as he slid the door closed, his eye peeked through the slit, as though suspicious of him.

With no other distractions, Kakashi opened the door to Naruto's bedroom and pursed his lips at the sight. On the futon, he saw Sasuke's lithe body spread out on the sheets. He could hear the elf's heavy panting as though it was difficult to even lie down. Sasuke did not even move when Kakashi noisily made his way over to him.

"Your precious master didn't even finish the job? Tsk, tsk," the looming man commented as he kneeled down.

Idly pushing the strands of hair out of the elf's face, Kakashi stared at the body before him. Here was a perfectly good and willing party, neglected by the naive and, perhaps, scared blond. He almost wondered why it was that Sasuke was less prudent than his master.

_You broke him in, genius. To the point that he cannot help himself once started._

Moving a hand slowly over Sasuke's cheek, down his neck and to his chest, Kakashi watched in delight as the elf began to react to his touches. Like a flower bud, he slowly began to open up, stretching his limbs out and reaching up desperately at his former master.

"Please," Sasuke begged, sitting up and gripping the front of Kakashi's kimono tightly.

Pursing his lips, Kakashi exhaled heavily through his nose. He never thought that he'd ever hear his elf sound so needy, like a bitch in heat. And he never thought that he'd ever feel the nostalgia that washed over him in that moment.

_There was a time when this beautiful creature belonged to you._

However, the moment quickly passed as Kakashi snapped himself out of it. The elf staring up at him, with such a lustful and hungry body, did not belong to him. Not anymore. And although that fact had not stopped him from touching Sasuke before, Kakashi recalled the promise that he had made with Sasuke before they went on their rogue mission together.

"Sasuke," Kakashi began as he put his hand over the elf's, "I know I wasn't kind to you when I was your master, but I have to respect the promise that I made you, especially now that you belong to Naruto."

The elf released Kakashi's kimono, leaving it utterly wrinkled where he had clenched his fist. He got onto his hands and knees, then advanced towards his former master with a flush over his entire body.

Kakashi gulped as he watched Sasuke climb onto him. He hadn't even realized that he had scooched backwards, stretching his legs out in front of him. The elf planted himself onto muscled thighs, then ghosted his hand down the front of his kimono, eventually reaching the tent that had formed between the elf's own legs.

"Please," the elf asked again, his voice becoming so fragile and gentle.

Sasuke took his former master's right hand in both of his and brought it up to his lips, immediately taking Kakashi's forefinger into his mouth.

The silver-haired man stared at Sasuke in wonder, his eyes wide. He could only watch as the entire length of his finger slid easily into the elf's mouth. After lapping his tongue all around the digit, Sasuke released Kakashi's finger, opening his mouth ever so slightly in the process.

His heart and head pounding hard, Kakashi's breathing had gotten so hard that he was sure the both of them could hear his breath resound throughout the room.

The moment of silence weighed heavily between them. Sasuke had cast his first move. How was Kakashi to react? Should he push him away? Or should he heed the elf's offer? After all, if Sasuke was the one offering, who was he to reject?

After they had gone at it, Sasuke immediately rolled off Kakashi onto the futon space next to him. They lay next to one another in silence, sans the heavy breathing. Neither of them moved, not even to look at the other. All they could do was stare at the ceiling silently, contemplating - or maybe even thinking about nothing at all.

In that one shared moment of release between them also existed an unspoken agreement to say nothing about the affair afterwards. Despite this...occasion, Kakashi had the fullest intention of keeping his word and ceasing his harassment upon Sasuke.

"Just so you know, this is a one time thing," Kakashi said as he lifted his head to rest it on his forearm, "If something like this happens again, it'll be your responsibility, okay?"

Sasuke idly smiled and, with glazed eyes, stared up at the ceiling until his eyes began to close.

oooOOooo

Naruto was not satisfied when he walked out of that brothel. Sure, his body had been relieved of its immediate discomfort, but the lingering feeling of guilt loomed over his mind like fog. The entire way home, the feeling of dread grew steadily with each footstep forward.

When he got home, Naruto was exhausted. Both his body and mind had barely any capability left to function properly. Stumbling towards his room, the blond opened his bedroom door and stared dead into Sasuke's eyes. The elf was sitting at the low table, pouring over a book until their eyes met.

Faltering in his step, Naruto hesitantly closed the door behind him and made his way to the futon. It was set out neatly, with not a wrinkle in sight. He sat down onto it, then started to undo his obi. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto could see the elf staring at him surreptitiously, as if he knew something.

The blond ignored him, however, and began to strip down until he was completely naked. Walking over to the hidden alcove, Naruto slid open the panel and retrieved a light yukata, which he slowly put on. He could feel Sasuke's eyes on him, and even when he turned around to face him, those dark eyes were still upon him.

"Welcome home, master," Sasuke said quietly as he got up and walked over to Naruto, "May I get you anything? Water? Tea? Or perhaps some dinner?"

Unable to read into the true nature of Sasuke's congenial persona, Naruto stared at him for a little while longer before shaking his head and smiling a bit.

"I'm fine. But thank you," Naruto said as he tied his yukata closed, "I'd actually just like to get to bed, if you don't mind."

The elf bowed his head, then began to retreat from the room. In a panic, Naruto reached forward and gently grabbed Sasuke's wrist, causing him to turn around.

"I, uh- Your room is still occupied, isn't it? How about you sleep here for tonight?"

Naruto mentally scolded himself for stammering so much. He waited, his heart pumping inexplicably as he studied Sasuke's expression. The elf, however, gave away nothing. Not even a twitch of a muscle betrayed him. Sasuke looked up at Naruto, then bowed his head again as he moved back towards the futon.

"If master wishes it," Sasuke responded, kneeling onto the sheets and waiting for Naruto to join him.

The elf seemed rather distant. And though Naruto inferred and accepted the reason why Sasuke was acting so coldly towards him, it still didn't change the fact that he felt awful about his shameless abuse towards him earlier. He set himself upon the sheets next to Sasuke, who remained still.

Naruto sighed and scratched the back of his head as he spoke, "Sasuke, I'm sorry. I don't know if you know how truly sorry I am for treating you the way I did. Sasuke, I don't want to treat you as if I own you. I never wanted that kind of relationship between us."

Sasuke said nothing, only flinching when the blond reached for him and gently pulled him into a hug. Naruto enclosed the elf within his arms, pressing his nose into Sasuke's hair. Inhaling the pretty magnolia scent that he didn't even realize came from the dark tresses, Naruto tightened his arms around the smaller frame.

The elf scrunched his nose at the lavender stench emitting from his master. Almost hesitantly, and with his upper arms still pinned to his sides, Sasuke reached forward and grabbed fistfuls of Naruto's yukata. As his eyes glided over the light fabric to the tanned chest before him, he could see the bruises and marks that Naruto undoubtedly received at the brothel not too long ago.

Shutting his eyes, Sasuke allowed himself to be completely overwhelmed by the smell of lavender and by the warmth of Naruto's arms.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** To be honest, I nearly yelled at the computer screen a couple times when I was editing the chapter. I mean, _come on_, Naruto. Get your shit together! Am I right?

But anyway, there are a lot of personal reasons why I have been inactive for so long (3+ months? I lost count), but I'll spare you all the details. I just hope none of you guys have given up on me. I've been trying to push through the days without breaking down...so far, so good.

I really have to give my thanks to _BadButt94_, _Pen-Name-Kitsune-chan_, _Dragon77_, _LurvirsLuvvie_, xXPierceMyHeartxX, _Emirri_, Twingwing RuRaKe, _The-Mexican-Ninja_, Go-To-The-Extreme, lovely 333, , and lil joker 1989 (of course, special thanks to those in italics) for taking the time to review the latest chapter. It really makes me all giddy inside when I get a notification about this story - one of the few things that really brightens my day, no matter how shitty I feel.

Please honor me with your support and continue to read this story. I'll be damned if people stop coming here because of my terrible upload schedule.


	10. Chapter 10

Though Naruto wanted very much to sleep, it never came.

On the other hand, Sasuke slept rather soundly as drool dribbled out the corner of his mouth. Naruto, making sure not to arouse the other from his sleep, absentmindedly stroked the beautifully dark hair as he looked at the peaceful face in front of him. He smiled just a little, his happiness weighed down by the bittersweet ending of their night. Though he had said his piece and apologized to Sasuke, he felt that their relationship was mended, but not healed. It would certainly take some time until the elf would trust him as easily as he had before.

For a few more minutes, Naruto continued to let his mind wander as he lay next to Sasuke. When he realized that there was no hope for sleep any time soon, he got up from the futon and left the room.

The first thing he saw in the hallway was one of the elves, who looked as if he was sneaking about. Naruto raised his eyebrow before approaching him.

"Hi," Naruto began, "are you looking for something?"

The elf's hair, done up in a ponytail, barely moved as he spun around quickly. With his placid expression, however, it was hard to believe that Naruto may have startled him. Nervously, he rubbed the back of his neck and looked at the ground.

"I was wondering if Sasuke was doing all right."

The anxiousness in his voice raised Naruto's suspicions. He cocked his head and gave an inquisitive look. Naruto did not get a chance to ask what he meant by that because the elf completely froze when they heard a door down the hall slide open. Naruto turned and saw that Kakashi was heading down the hall towards them. When the blond turned back to the elf, he was already on his way back to Sasuke's bedroom.

Something about the elf's actions were quite strange. Naruto frowned, and his eyebrows furrowed. Kakashi approached him, and Naruto almost reluctantly turned his attention towards him.

"Ah, Naruto, there you are. I do apologize for interrupting you and Sasuke earlier-"

"It's fine," Naruto cut off somewhat irritably, suddenly annoyed that he couldn't figure out what was going on, "What did you want?"

Kakashi paused for a moment or two, staring at the aggravated blond before replying, "A messenger came for us a few hours ago. Apparently the Council has summoned the both of us to meet with them in the morning."

Of course, the Council had probably heard of their - no, Kakashi's - antics. Though Naruto had expected a meeting with them, he was almost disturbed by how quickly they found out.

Sighing, the blond ruffled his hair as he replied, "All right. We'll head out in the morning."

oooOOooo

The sun was only beginning to rise when they headed out of the house. Naruto remained deadly quiet as his companion chatted lightly about how beautiful the morning was.

"I have to say, the flora here is much more fragrant in the morning than back home The natural perfume of your town is wonderful, Naruto."

How the other man could remain so nonchalant about this meeting was beyond Naruto.

Once they entered town hall, the few people who were in the main lobby glanced over and then began whispering to one another. Naruto felt his growing unease, while Kakashi seemed to not mind the eyes that were following them.

They made their way towards Tsunade's office, and as if on cue, she rounded the corner and crossed her arms as soon as she spotted them. Coming over to the pair, she had furrowed her eyebrows and frowned so heavily that Naruto was almost certain that the older woman was going to get her first wrinkle right then and there.

"Whose _genius_ idea was it to call a spec op without conferring with the Council? You realize that I am getting in as much trouble as the both of you, right? Come- they want to speak to the three of us."

They quietly walked towards the large conference room, with Tsunade stepping in first, followed by Kakashi, then Naruto. Lining up side by side, the three of them stood on the other side of the Council, all of whom were sitting and staring with distaste.

Naruto never feared the Council, but that was because he was hardly on their radar. He was mischievous from time to time, causing ruckus around town, but he had never done anything to be remotely close to a threat to their authority...until now.

Glancing out the corner of his eye, he could see that Kakashi was just as calm as ever. The other male stood, with his hands clasped behind his back, as if provoking them to even _try_ reprimanding him for proceeding without their order. Naruto almost found himself in awe towards Kakashi, until he remembered that this man had put Sasuke at huge risk during his rogue spec op.

"Mr. Hatake," one of the Elders began, "the entire Council had congregated for the purpose of strategically planning the best course of action. We were more than accommodating when you showed up at Tsunade's call. However, your blatant disobedience - to do whatever you feel - that, we cannot ignore. You moved without our knowledge, and above all else, you, a member of the Lightning Country, killed within the borders of Fire Country."

Naruto turned his head quickly as he stared incredulously at the other male. This man had taken lives, and he seemed to show no remorse. Even when Naruto himself took another life on missions, he would pray for their souls at the temple. The blond was quickly realizing in that moment just how much he and Kakashi had changed from their younger days.

Kakashi raised his eyebrows at the Council, then put his hands on his hips and leaned on one leg. His posture was almost ludicrous, as if he cared very little for the distinguished men and women sitting in front of him.

"With all due respect, I had no intention of following your orders to the tee. You talk about strategic planning as if this was some grand old war like you had all experienced in your day. This is a far darker and graver situation than any of you can imagine. When you can, you act with efficiency and purpose. I wasn't going to sit around with my thumb up my ass waiting for you to make a decision."

By the end of his monologue, the Council looked somewhat stupefied, as if they had never, in all their years of serving, encountered such a resolute individual. Naruto himself could scarcely wrap his mind around it.

One member of the Council finally piped up, "And? What of the perpetrator?"

Tsunade stepped forward and crossed her arms in front of her chest as she replied, "We have captured Orochimaru, who is in questioning now. We're attempting to find out who his contacts are in Water Country and whether he has contacts anywhere else. Believe me when I say that Kakashi is more than able-bodied to complete his task."

The entirety of the Council looked at one another in a brief moment of silence, as if speaking telepathically. One of the female Elders spoke, "Tsunade, Naruto - we will meet tomorrow morning after we deliberate on the matter. As for now, we would like to speak with Mr. Hatake privately."

Tsunade bowed. "Of course."

The blonds left the room, but not before Naruto stole one last glance at Kakashi. The man was as still and as quiet as ever.

oooOOooo

When Sasuke woke up, the space next to him was, once again, empty. Rubbing his eye with the back of his hand, he yawned, then scooted off the futon to put it away. As the seconds ticked on, Sasuke began to recall the events of the night before.

Sasuke couldn't shake that inexplicable feeling he got when, with his back against the floor, he looked up at Naruto. He remembered the way his stomach lurched when he saw his master in that feral state - though it was uncertain whether it was due to anxiety or something entirely different.

The elf got up, refusing to think more on the matter, and bundled the futon in his arms before stashing it away in the hidden alcove. After heading to the bathroom and getting freshened up, Sasuke peeked his head into his own bedroom. To his surprise, however, none of the elves were in there. Asuma, who apparently had been assigned to watch over them, was cradling a cigarette between his fore- and middle finger while staring idly out the window.

"Good morning," Sasuke said as he slid the door open.

Asuma turned his head, then gave a lopsided smile in recognition. "Ah, good morning, Sasuke. There's already breakfast in the kitchen if you'd like-"

"Where are the others?"

The way the burly man before him gave him that smile told Sasuke that something wasn't quite right. The entirety of his bedroom was spotless, and no one would have been able to guess that five elves had occupied the room. When Sasuke saw Asuma's head bow, he already knew.

"Where are they being taken? Asuma, I need to know."

Sasuke knew he was starting to become panicked - his entire being, his voice. And though he had not had the time to get to know every single elf on a personal level, he still felt as if their well-being was his responsibility. The fact that they were completely out of his sight, and perhaps out of his life entirely, was somewhat frightening. Where would they end up? What would become of them?

The first instinct was to search for them. The elf did not know why it seemed a plausible idea, but he rushed for the front door, barely taking the time to slip on his geta before wrenching the door open. He could scarcely hear the shuffling from behind him, of Asuma attempting to catch up with him.

However, he paused in his tracks when he saw Naruto's looming figure standing in the doorway, his arm outstretched with a key in his hand. Sasuke barely even blinked before he pushed past his master and ran down the familiar road to town, his kimono fluttering in the wind.

When he finally got to town hall, Sasuke was breathing heavily and he was sure his kimono was filthy from all the dry dirt he traversed over. Bursting into the building, he ignored all the stares he was getting and ran through the halls, searching and searching for his kin.

Some primitive instinct within him drove him to rash acting - that much he knew. Perhaps that was the humans' "one-up" against elves, why they were the ones pushed into slavery. But there was no point in dwelling on that point, neither was there a point in refusing his nature.

Sasuke stopped when he spotted Shikamaru's ponytail disappear into a room. He followed into the room, only to stop short as he came face-to-face with the most intimidating group of elders. To his relief, however, he saw all five of the other elves in the room as well. But they all looked somewhat fear-stricken, and it wrenched Sasuke's heart when he realized that their fate was most likely to be decided by the wrinkled humans sitting on the other side of the table situated in the middle of the room.

"_What are you doing here?_" Kakashi hissed.

Defiant, the elf stood with his hands on his hips and demanded to the Council, "What do you plan to do with them? Tell me now, or else I'll-"

Lurching backward, Sasuke forgot to breathe for a moment. He felt Naruto's familiar warmth constrict him into an unbreakable hold. In an attempt to free himself, the elf began to squirm, this way and that, to loosen himself.

"Let go of me!"

Naruto grunted, "No way. I'm getting you out of here."

Sasuke couldn't believe that Naruto was stopping him, especially when the situation balanced delicately between lifetime freedom and imprisonment. When he found an opening and wrenched himself free from Naruto, Sasuke ran up to the table and slammed his hands onto the wooden surface.

Before he could do or say anything, however, the elders were in a panic. Perhaps they had never seen an elf act so outlandishly, besides from the docile herd they were probably normally used to.

"Someone _get him away_!"

"He's gone rabid!"

"Put him down! His brain is diseased!"

Sasuke barely registered that a group of humans had come into the room and were approaching him from behind. Had he turned around, he would have seen them all clad in medical garb, with one holding a relatively long, skinny needle. But before any of them could touch the elf and stick the needle of god-knows-what into his pale flesh, Kakashi stepped in and forced the elf to look directly into his eyes.

"_Yasume_, Sasuke!" (A/N: Yasume is the military call for a soldier to stand at ease)

The effect was almost immediate. The wild look in Sasuke's eyes quelled, and his body became lax.

The entirety of the room remained very still and quiet - the Council, mainly because they feared for their lives; the medical group, because they were utterly confused; Naruto, because he was stunned beyond belief; and Kakashi, because he knew he was the cause of the awkward pause.

Clearing his throat, Kakashi gently pushed Sasuke towards Naruto and said, "I would like if we could proceed, Council. And Naruto, if you would be so kind as to take your elf home."

Still bewildered at what had just happened, Naruto could only obediently follow Kakashi's orders, just as Sasuke had done. He quietly escorted Sasuke out of the room and closed the door gently behind them.

"Sasuke," Naruto began calmly, "if you would care to explain what just happened in there, I would love to hear it."

The elf, still mute from his moment of taming, stared at the floor, refusing to look up at Naruto. Realizing he was not going to get an answer anytime soon, Naruto sighed and put an arm around Sasuke's shoulder as they headed home.

The entire way back, Sasuke fought with himself. He felt the urge to run back to that room to demand those elves' freedom, and yet he could not make his body move anymore than it needed to.

He vaguely recalled when Kakashi had employed the very same taming tactic when he was younger. That had been a dark time, when Sasuke was most defiant and refused to listen to his master. He wasn't even sure how he had been tamed to become so docile with so simple a command, but perhaps those were the memories that his mind had plastered a wall over. Perhaps it was better not to remember...

oooOOooo

Kakashi wrung his hands as he walked the now-familiar path from the town back to Naruto's home. It had taken him hours to convince the Council that the elves had someplace to return to, and that putting them back "into the market" would do no one any good. They eventually saw reason and allowed for the elves to return home, contingent that Kakashi would be the one to escort them all back. Of course, he would have it no other way.

Until then, however, the elves would be under the care of Tsunade, who reassured them that makeshift lodgings in the building would allow her to assign them security.

As he came to the front door of the house, the sun had already sunk below the horizon, and a warm glow lit up the sky with a strange orange, purplish hue. Kakashi reluctantly rapped his knuckles on the wooden door.

When the door slid open, Kakashi gulped. He was immediately greeted by the even expression of Naruto Uzumaki, whose uncharacteristically unsmiling face could send fear chilling up and down anyone's spine.

"You're just in time to join me for some sake, Kakashi. I just finished heating up some."

Naruto bade him to sit down at the low table just a little ways from the entrance, and Kakashi did so without arguing. He watched silently as the blond kneeled down on the other side. Moving languidly, Naruto set down a small raku-style cup in front of Kakashi, then poured a fair amount of the warmed sake into it. He moved to pour his own cup, but Kakashi stopped him.

"Allow me."

Kakashi, with hands a little less sturdy than he would have liked, took a hold of the sake bottle and poured into Naruto's cup. To his dismay, as he tipped the bottle back to cease pouring, small splashes of sake made its way onto the wooden surface. He put the bottle down and sat back on his knees.

"I apologize for the mess."

During the whole process, Naruto had changed his sitting position and now had his arm resting on his right knee, the sole of his foot pressed onto the tatami. He shrugged nonchalantly, then, with his elbow still resting on his knee, reached for the small sake cup. Raising it up to Kakashi, he waited as the silver-haired man followed suit.

"To our lives, as we once knew them."

Not even daring to ask what the meaning of the toast was, Kakashi raised his cup a little higher, then proceeded to down the alcohol in one gulp. The warm liquid rolled past his tongue and down his throat. Kakashi set down his cup before him with a quiet _clink_ and waited.

He _knew_ why Naruto had asked him to have a drink with him. There were questions he wanted answers for - and as far as Kakashi could tell, Sasuke hadn't said a word since they left town hall.

The silence continued on for a few more minutes. If Naruto asked for an explanation about that afternoon, then Kakashi would have more likely than not given him an answer without question. But the fact was, Naruto was _waiting_ to see if Kakashi would take the initiative. It was, perhaps unconsciously, a test that Naruto had conducted especially for Kakashi.

What would he ever want to test? Whether he was loyal to his old comrade? If that were the case, Naruto would be sorely disappointed. There was a reason why he had defected from Fire Country and into Lightning. If there was anything Naruto _should_ expect, it's that Kakashi had cut that quasi-brotherly tie they had when he left.

But still. Kakashi could feel his conscience eat away at him, telling him that it was wrong to keep Naruto in the dark about Sasuke's past - _their_ past.

He remained sitting in his spot, quiet as could be. It was only another minute or two before Kakashi got up abruptly.

"Thank you for the sake, Naruto. I should retire for the night; it's been a long day, and I've a need for some sleep."

Kakashi bowed his head, then retreated towards the hallway as quickly as he could. Just as he entered his room, he took one last look at the still silhouette that remained at the table, a fist now curled around the sake bottle.

oooOOooo

The next morning, Naruto and Kakashi headed out for their meeting with the Council. Neither of them had forgotten the round of sake that they had shared the night before, but neither of them indicated that he wanted to speak of the occasion. So they walked on in silence, avoiding the subject and any form of communication between them.

When they got to town hall, a too-familiar place for them now, Tsunade looked at them, one to the other, before crossing her arms under her chest. She seemed to know that something between them had happened, but made no indication that she wished to know the details.

They all walked into the conference room together, without a word spoken, stopping to stand under the scrutinizing eyes of the wizened Council before them.

"I will just get down to it," the one man sitting towards the middle stated, "as we have dwelled on the matter for far too long. After speaking with Mr. Hatake, we have decided it best to have him escort the rescued elves back to their homes. Mr. Hatake, we will deploy you within the next week, after Tsunade has completed all the proper paperwork.

"In the meantime, Mr. Hatake, we would like for you to extract any information that you can from Orochimaru. The interrogation team that was with him since yesterday failed to uncover anything useful to us. You are free to use any methods you see fit, as long as he is still alive by the end of it."

The old man then made some gesture to dismiss the lot of them. However, as Tsunade and Kakashi turned to leave the room, Naruto stepped forward.

"And what about me? I'm involved in this just as much as anyone else."

The Council looked at one another, then back at the blond male. Naruto was actually somewhat annoyed that they gave him nothing to do. Was he not important enough to carry out a task?

"We had heard of your recent injury from Tsunade," the female elder spoke, "and thought you could do for some rest until you make a full recovery."

Naruto felt dejected. Hurt that the Council thought him incapable - as it so seemed - he, almost sounding desperate, made a case for himself.

"One week's time is enough. I can escort those elves back. I'll definitely have recovered by then."

The men and women seated before them looked somewhat reluctant. However, when they permitted Naruto's involvement with the mission, he bowed in thanks and exited the room after Tsunade and Kakashi.

The silver-haired man ran off, down the halls, not even waiting up for Naruto. As he watched his old comrade leave, Tsunade explained for him, "Kakashi wants to make some headway with Orochimaru. He'll be in that room for some time, I'm afraid, until that man will even begin to speak."

Naruto said nothing, his eyes still lingering where Kakashi had turned the corner.

oooOOooo

In the backyard, Naruto was hard at training. He was anxious to get his full strength back so he could, without fail, escort those elves home. His shoulder was healing, but he had lost quite a substantial amount of muscle and coordination from days of inactivity. After going through his adjusted exercise regimen (to avoid overdoing it), Naruto paused for a few minutes to gather himself.

In the past two days, Naruto had barely seen his comrade in the house. Usually, by the time he had woken up in the morning, Kakashi was already out of the house, undoubtedly heading to town hall to get Orochimaru to speak. But he was sure that the other man was also trying his best to avoid him.

In addition to Kakashi avoiding him, Sasuke kept as little conversation going between them as possible. Though he would not deny Naruto's request for physical companionship, he would not engage much into speaking. Perhaps he was afraid that speaking would eventually rouse unwanted topics.

Overall, the house had been overly quiet. Naruto felt as if his house were completely empty, and that it was just like his lone bachelor days. He was tempted, on many occasions throughout the day, to head to the brothel that he used to frequent so often. But with the upcoming mission he had essentially assigned to himself, Naruto had to keep himself on track and focused.

Naruto, with two hands on his sword, thrust downward and stuck the tip into the dry earth. Letting go of it, he watched in a daze as the vertical metal quivered.

He was dressed in only his hakama during this particular training session, his upper body gleaming in the sunlight with sweat. Wiping at the sweat on his forehead, Naruto headed inside to the kitchen, where he opened the sink faucet and splashed some cool water on his face. When he heard footsteps behind him, he turned his head to look. Sasuke stood at the threshold, looking somewhat reluctant to enter. Those dark eyes were trained on him, and Naruto was sure that the elf wanted to speak but something was holding him back.

Ignoring the elf, Naruto went back to cooling off and took a drink of water before shutting off the faucet. If Sasuke was going to keep talking to a minimum, there was no point for Naruto to even try anymore. He took the towel sitting on the counter and wiped his face.

"Have you gotten dinner started yet?" Naruto asked Sasuke.

The elf had come all the way into the kitchen, though he remained by the entryway still. He shook his head, looking down at the ground as he did so.

"Okay, good. We're going out, then," Naruto said as he left the kitchen.

Naruto figured, despite his elf saying very little to him, that it was time he told Sasuke about his escorting the elves in a few days' time. He had the intention of telling Sasuke a little earlier, but his lack of want for conversation did not give Naruto much of a chance to talk about anything in length. Bringing him out would prohibit Sasuke from running off to another part of the house as he had done in the past two days.

He headed to his bedroom to change into a kimono, then went into Sasuke's room to call him out. When the elf did not answer after he knocked a few times, Naruto made to open the door. To his surprise, however, Sasuke jumped to the doorway and, looking rather flustered, shut the door in his face.

"Sasuke? What the hell are you playing at?"

With a breathless voice, Sasuke replied through the door, "Just- just give me a minute. I'll be finished soon."

The elf sounded in a hurry, as if something with utmost importance was occupying his attention. Naruto pressed his ear to the door and yelled back, "Finished with what? What are you doing in there-"

Naruto wrenched the door open again and found Sasuke sitting on his futon, the side of his body turned to him. As he stared in wonder, the blond realized that the elf had his right hand gripping what looked like his-

"Get out of here!" Sasuke nearly shrieked, with the entirety of his skin flushed with embarrassment, "I said I'll be finished soon!"

Feeling his body suddenly heat up, Naruto shut the door and stood there in shock.

oooOOooo

Sasuke did not dare to look in Naruto's eyes when he finally emerged from his room. The blond was standing at the front of the house, looking out the window in thought. When Naruto turned his way, Sasuke wanted to disappear into the wall.

"Let's go," Naruto said as he slipped on his geta.

As they headed into town, Naruto tried to engage him into some small talk - the beautiful weather, the upcoming cool season, etc. But Sasuke remained as mute as ever, not wanting to speak about anything, not about Kakashi nor the state in which Naruto had discovered him earlier.

When Naruto opened his door and caught him in the middle of masturbation, Sasuke didn't know what to think. But he wasn't able to help himself! He had let his imagination run all too wild when he saw his master's beautiful, naked torso in the kitchen. Imagine what would have happened if he had seen him in all his full glory!

Despite the amusing nature of the situation, Sasuke could also not help but think about how Kakashi had so easily quelled him in that conference room. He wouldn't be surprised if Naruto had already supposed his and Kakashi's previous relationship.

They walked into the ramen shop at the edge of town, and the both of them sat at the counter, side by side, as the shopkeeper approached them.

"Evening, Naruto," he greeted, "I haven't seen you in a while. And who's this? The one responsible for your cooking, I assume."

Naruto grinned as he sat down, "Hey, Teuchi. I'll have two orders of the usual. We're on a date."

Teuchi let out a booming, hearty laugh before shouting out the order to the back. He went on to take care of another customer, leaving the two of them sitting quietly.

The other patrons in the shop were staring at them from the other end of the counter. They were probably just as curious and, possibly, disgusted at Naruto's friendly manner towards his elf. Sasuke had blushed furiously when Naruto called their dinner, "a date". Though he was sure that his master was joking, he slouched in his seat and attempted to be as invisible as possible.

Within minutes, Teuchi emerged from the kitchens and placed two bowls of steaming ramen before them.

Without another word, Naruto gave one last glance over to Sasuke, then ripped his disposable wooden chopsticks apart and began to eat. The elf stared at the bowl before him, not touching it for quite some time.

When Teuchi came over after noticing Sasuke's lack of eating, he asked, "Hey, you don't like pork miso ramen?"

Sasuke, as if snapping out of it, grabbed his chopsticks and ate a small mouthful of ramen. He smiled at the warm taste, which seemed to be enough for Teuchi as he walked away. The elf continued to eat, focusing on his noodles and nothing else. When he finished, the chopsticks clattered into the empty bowl.

Not noticing that his master was staring at him (probably for some time), Sasuke began to fidget in his seat and sputtered, "Wh- what are you looking at?"

Looking off into another direction, as if ashamed that he had been called out on staring, Naruto replied innocently, "Nothing. Just wondering when you're going to tell me all the things you've been keeping from me. Like, you know, what's going on between you and Kakashi."

Sasuke looked off to the side. He knew that Naruto had an ulterior motive for bringing him out to dinner, and now he was trapped with nowhere to go. Fidgeting with his hands, he tried to ignore the conversation altogether.

The surprise came when Naruto grabbed Sasuke's hands, causing the elf to stare at his master with wide eyes.

"Sasuke, please. I think I deserve to know."

There was no argument for that. Sasuke felt his stomach wrench with guilt as he looked down at their hands. Naruto _deserved_ to know, and yet here he was keeping him in the dark about it all. He looked into those pleading blue eyes and realized that he just couldn't keep quiet about it anymore.

"Kakashi was... my former master."

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><p><strong>AN:** Oh, my! Sasuke _finally_ told Naruto! I do wonder how Naruto will take the news. Perhaps he'll be mad? Or maybe even understanding, as the past is the past... right?

Also, I love the responses to Kakashi's character in the last chapter. I didn't mean to completely antagonize him, but his character is _caliente_, don't you think? That still doesn't change the fact that he's a bad, bad person though...

So many thanks to _cynder81_, _Harco8059_, _roboguy45_, KokoroNoIro, Rikuga, _The-Mexican-Ninja_, _BadButt94_, rura, narutolover15, oreoanime11, TheHiddenAngel, _Dragon77_, _Emirri_, and _lil joker 1989_ (extra cookies for those in italics) for really brightening up my days. For you guys especially, I try to write my soul into each chapter.

To all of my lovely readers, please continue to support me! Your readership is the most important thing to me, I swear!

P.S. Shameless plug for my Tumblr (sumi-shinzou); the stories posted there are in their full glories, so if you are of legal age (depending on your country), you can read the explicit material that is a no-no here. Follow or send me fan mail! Or leave a review here! I'd _love_ to hear your thoughts.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Just as a quick warning... there's a bit of naughty stuff going on between... well, you'll find out. Just brace yourselves. That's all I can say.

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><p>"Kekeke... I can sense the irritation in you," Orochimaru hissed as Kakashi shut the door behind him, "Something... <em>bothering<em> you?"

Kakashi scowled harshly as he stepped from the darkness into the spotlight of the overhanging lamp. He stared at the tied man before him, whose chair sat in the middle of that spotlight. When Orochimaru snapped his neck up, staring up with his jaundiced eyes, the silver-haired man attempted to control his flaring temper. If he didn't restrain himself, he could very well kill this otherwise defenseless man.

"You're awfully animated now," Kakashi replied, ignoring Orochimaru, "Animated enough to give me all the information you know, surely."

That wicked smile, one that disturbed even someone like Kakashi, played across the pale man's face. He cackled lowly, as if he was slowly beginning to lose his mind. But he tilted his head back and boomed out a laughter so sinister, it actually forced goosebumps on Kakashi's skin. Never was he more aware of the overwhelming darkness that loomed over them, the quiet dripping sounds of an intentionally leaky pipe in a dark corner, the pungent smell of piss.

"You expect me to tell you? Really, now. All you've tried with me so far is your mind tricks. But I know your tactics, Mr. Hatake, and they won't work on me."

Kakashi hummed, though not in an amused way - not at all amused - and made his way back into the darkness. He hummed louder, the sound reverberating throughout the room, the origin unknown. Orochimaru seemed unfazed as he dropped his head against his chest, as if he were in a trance.

When Kakashi reemerged from the shadows, he came up behind Orochimaru and trapped the man's neck with the crook of his elbow, squeezing as he heard a pathetic gasp. He pretended it was Naruto's neck and squeezed harder. When he heard gagging noises, Kakashi let go and Orochimaru, still tied in his chair, clattered to the floor. He hadn't realized he'd picked up the man off the ground.

"That's... how you're going to play now..." Orochimaru wheezed as he struggled to catch his breath, "I was... wondering when you'd start."

"Shut up," Kakashi snapped as he rounded to face Orochimaru, "Unless you decide to tell me relevant information, I don't want to hear a word from you."

There was silence. But soon, another evil rumble of laughter shook Kakashi to the core. He waited until Orochimaru spoke, but Kakashi stared into the spotlight, trying to ground himself, to keep himself from going insane.

"You want relevant information? I'll tell you all about how _delectable_ Sasuke looked when I last saw him. Oh, but I needn't tell you - you were there, weren't you? I'm sure you were just as curious as to whether he'd been _used_ since you sold him off-"

The harsh sound of skin striking skin rang through the room. Kakashi wiped the blood off the back of his hand on his pants; Orochimaru had been thoroughly shut up, his split lip evidence of the power in his interrogator's anger.

"Don't _fucking_ mess with me, Orochimaru. You know as well as I do how easy it'd be for me to snap your neck right now."

A smirk danced on Orochimaru's face as the spotlight cast eerie shadows upon his face. "Oh, but you won't. Not until you've squeezed every bit of information out of me. Until then, you _can't_ kill me."

Kakashi kicked the chair Orochimaru was sitting on, tipping it over and causing him to crash onto the floor. He spun to leave the room, only to hear the other man's eerie laugh.

"You're no better than me, Kakashi, and you know it. I remember how broken Sasuke was when you sold him to me. I remember..."

Kakashi shut the door behind him, blinking when he got into the slightly brighter hallway. He set the deadbolt on the door and, with clenched fists, stalked from the building.

oooOOooo

Naruto had been more than patient with both Sasuke and Kakashi. He gave the both of them ample time to disclose whatever secret they were hiding. But Naruto apparently expected too much from them; neither had given any sort of hint as to what was going on, and both had gone out of their way to avoid the subject altogether.

By the way Sasuke looked off to avoid his eyes, Naruto could fathom a guess as to how the elf would try to shrug off the topic this time. However, the blond was steadily becoming desperate as the seconds ticked by. In one last attempt, Naruto reached out for Sasuke's hands and enclosed his over those pale, thin ones.

"Please, Sasuke. I think I deserve to know."

And that seemed sufficient to catch his attention. Those dark, bright eyes glimmered with surprise as he stared into Naruto's. With a moment's pause, the elf let out a breath.

"Kakashi was… my former master."

It all clicked in Naruto's mind, then and there. Suddenly, everything that had occurred in the last few days made sense - Sasuke's apprehensive behavior when Kakashi showed up, his cooperation in that dangerous spec op, Kakashi's ability to quell the elf when he was thrashing about, among all the other little interactions between them.

For some reason, Naruto felt his body and mind ease at the confession. But at the same time, he felt a strange pang of what felt like anger in the very back of his mind. Disregarding it, he slouched his shoulders, which he hadn't realized he'd tensed, and let a small smile play on his lips. He released Sasuke's hands and reached into his kimono.

Turning to the shopkeeper, Naruto gave his salutations for the night and placed a bill onto the counter. He beckoned Sasuke to follow him and off they went.

Just outside the ramen shop, the blond draped his arm over Sasuke's shoulders, and in this fashion they made their way home. As they traversed through the rest of the town, the duo - Sasuke especially - ignored the lingering stares on them as they conversed.

"I admit, I probably would have been angry if you had told me about this two days ago," Naruto said as he smiled and waved at a glaring old woman, "but now I understand everything. I don't blame you or Kakashi for this. The past is the past."

Sasuke, with his head down, kept quiet the entire time.

"I thought something completely different was going on; I half-expected to find Kakashi on top of you one day, with the way he'd stare at you sometimes. But at least now I know it was just my paranoia distorting my wild imagination."

When they entered the house, Naruto declared that he needed a bath. He whistled as he headed for the bathroom, leaving Sasuke to do whatever he wished, which also left time for him to panic.

Though he had come clean about his past relationship with Kakashi, Sasuke still had not the nerve to tell him about the recent happenings. Not only had Kakashi touched him against his will, but they had engaged in a mutual round of pleasure... though, to be fair, they had only jerked each other off and nothing more.

Nervousness crept and settled into every crevice in his body. Sasuke's hands shook as he went into the kitchen, his heart and mind wholly unquelled.

How would Naruto react when he _really_ found out what was going on? The elf could only fathom a guess, but he was sure it wouldn't be as mild as when he disclosed Kakashi's relation to him.

Wanting to preoccupy his mind and steady his shivering body, Sasuke began to clean around the kitchen, wiping down the counters and table with the utmost diligence.

Sasuke, so absorbed with his task at hand, could not help but jump when he felt arms wrapping around his waist. The stench of strong sake overwhelmed his nose, and the elf froze in fright when he realized it was Kakashi.

"After all this time, I still couldn't believe how stupid I was for selling you to Orochimaru. He knew I was desperate for cash," Kakashi whispered, his hot breath burning up Sasuke's right ear, "But I've finally found you, much to my luck."

The elf's skin crawled as he worked to remove himself from the drunken man's hold. He pressed his left ear flush against his shoulder, wanting to keep away from Kakashi's gross breath.

Trying to ignore what the silver-haired man was rambling on about, Sasuke said, "Kakashi, if Naruto finds us like this, he'll-"

"To hell with Naruto!" he exclaimed right back, clenching his hands onto Sasuke's shoulders much like how a large bird would with its prey, "I thought I could let you go, after seeing how _happy_ you were with him, but after that time - the way your body _arched_ at my touch - I realized that you are meant to be _mine_."

The shame and guilt that had weighed down on Sasuke's shoulders for the past week now pressed down on him to the point that he could barely breathe. And all he could smell was Kakashi's toxic breath, which caused his stomach to curl in the most vile of ways.

"Please, Kakashi, you're drunk. You're obviously not in the right sort," Sasuke tried to rationalize, "What you need right now is some water and some rest."

Kakashi's iron grip on his shoulders fell to his upper arms, which he remained clinging to as he began to press his lips sloppily onto Sasuke's neck. Crying out in surprise, the elf took the rag that he had been cleaning the table with and began to swat behind him as he squirmed. To his dismay, Kakashi gripped his wrists and pushed them down on the table in front of them, bending the elf over as his body pressed heavily onto the slender frame. The silver-haired man's hips ground hard against the small body, and Sasuke let out a strangled cry.

Sasuke shut his eyes and allowed Kakashi to continue his drunken act. Despite the fact that his former master was doing this against his will, heat pooled in between Sasuke's legs as he felt the delicious friction his body _craved_. Soon enough, he was panting just as much as Kakashi was.

"I- I don't want this," Sasuke blubbered as he started to pull himself together.

The silver-haired man pressed all his weight down onto Sasuke as he whispered harshly in the elf's ear, causing him to shiver violently, "No? Then how can you explain _this_?"

A forceful hand reached around Sasuke and palmed his hardening length. Sasuke whimpered in response and shook as he pressed his thighs together. He felt absolutely ashamed that his body was reacting so strongly, but he just could not help himself. Kakashi pressed himself harder, his hips grinding faster as he approached his climax. The elf let out a strangled sound once Kakashi began to shudder against his body.

Sasuke did not move when Kakashi finally released his wrists. He remained bent over the table, his body still wanting the type of friction from _someone_. It did not help that Kakashi bent over him once more and placed huge, sloppy kisses all along the back of his neck, up behind his ear, then followed the long contour of his ear before nibbling at the tip. Sasuke let out a dry sob at the dangerous combination of pleasure and guilt bubbling in his belly. He waited until Kakashi finally left the kitchen and headed for his bedroom; the elf only dared to move once he heard the guest bedroom door close.

Doing the best he could to compose himself as he stood up, Sasuke picked up the rag that had dropped on the floor, threw it into the sink and washed his hands. He made his way to Naruto's room in a daze and dropped on the futon. His body felt _hot_, absolutely in need for some kind of touch sensation across his burning skin. Sasuke perked his ears at the sound of the bathroom door opening and the sound of approaching footsteps. He propped himself off the floor, his kimono sliding off his shoulder entirely. Sasuke was half-panting and already painfully _hard_ as he thought of his master.

When Naruto entered the room, he stilled when he realized the spectacle splayed out before him. Those plump pink lips, the expanse of beautifully light skin... the blond felt himself shift uncomfortably as the towel around his hips suddenly seemed too tight. He gulped hard when Sasuke's hazy, lust-filled eyes stared into his.

Those eyes were so enticing, so inviting, that Naruto found himself shuffling towards Sasuke. He stopped just short of the futon, and Sasuke reached out to caress his ankle.

"Sasuke..." Naruto exhaled, "What are you doing?"

The elf just simply looked up at him with those eyes, the very same ones that could drive any man to do anything for him. Naruto kneeled down onto the futon and came level with Sasuke. He reached out and cupped the flushed cheek, to which the elf leaned into the touch and let out a soft sigh. Naruto trailed his hand down Sasuke's cheek to his neck, which rendered a near-violent shiver, to his naked shoulder.

"Please, Naruto... _Master_," Sasuke pleaded, "I need to feel..."

Naruto pushed himself forward and pressed his lips onto Sasuke's. The elf froze for a moment, then melted right into the soft, warm, _gentle_ kiss. He allowed himself to be guided backwards to lie down onto the floor, and his master straddled over him on all fours. Their tongues peeked out experimentally, both seeking entrance to the other's mouth. The warmth engulfing them escalated quickly; it wasn't long before Naruto felt his body reacting to the kiss with such _passion_ that he almost didn't know what to do next.

As they angled their heads and deepened the kiss to allow for their tongues to dance, Sasuke reached up to fiddle with the towel around Naruto's waist. However, the blond stopped him and began undoing Sasuke's obi. When the knot had come undone, Naruto gently peeled away the kimono on Sasuke's body and took in a shaky breath at the sight of the naked body under him.

"So beautiful," Naruto whispered as he leaned forward and nipped at the smooth chest.

Sasuke inhaled sharply at the warmth of Naruto's lips on his body. He threw his forearm over his eyes and continued breathing unevenly as his master continued his exploration. Calloused fingertips ghosted over each one of Sasuke's ribs, causing the elf to sprout goosebumps as he whimpered at the teasing touch.

Never had either of them tested the limits of their endurance like this. Naruto always indulged in his appetite for pleasure, and Sasuke never felt this kind of passion in his life. The red-hot desire that Naruto had as he approached his elf's erect member multiplied as Sasuke panted and thrust his hips upwards. The blond ran his hands over pale thighs and gripped at protruding hip bones.

When Naruto pressed his lips to the tip experimentally, Sasuke let out a strained moan, keeping himself as quiet as he could. His arms were now flush against his body, gripping the sheets below him. He was keeping everything bottled in, his body scrunched and voice near-mute. The blond came back up and brought Sasuke into another breath-stealing kiss. He pulled away and rested his forehead on the elf's.

"Let me hear you, Sasuke. I want to be able to drink in all your moans, your cries..."

Naruto trailed his lips all the way back down Sasuke's front. The corners of his lips curled upwards when he elicited a rather wanton cry as the blond kissed his inner thigh. Sasuke spread his legs out further, and he released the most guttural, testosterone-filled rumbling from his throat. Desperate hands flew to Naruto's head and gripped hard at the bond locks.

Sasuke was more than compliant with Naruto's request. With every delicious movement, the elf would mewl and claw at his master, searching for something to ground himself as pleasure took him to new heights. It was invigorating, and certainly nothing he had ever experienced before. Though he received this sort of treatment from Kakashi once upon a time, it never meant anything more than fulfilling his master's selfish desires. In comparison, this was... _loving_.

Flicking out his tongue, Naruto traced up from the base of Sasuke's cock to the crown, which he pressed his tongue flat against and lapped around the circumference. The tip was then engulfed by moist lips, and Sasuke nearly came right then and there. He moaned Naruto's name, earning a gracious enveloping of his entire length. The elf could barely breathe as he watched his cock disappear past Naruto's lips.

"F-uck," Sasuke let out.

He had never felt this sexually fulfilled, nor had he ever moaned so crudely. Even if his master were to stop at that moment, Sasuke was sure he could die happy. But Naruto continued treating him, his head bobbing up and down, Sasuke's cock sliding in and out of that hot, slick cavern of a mouth.

When Naruto paused, he let Sasuke's cock slide out of his mouth one last time before wiping at his mouth. He looked up at the elf, whose entire body was flush with a beautiful pink color. Naruto kissed Sasuke all over, in any place he could reach - his thighs, his ball sac, his cock, torso, chest, arms, hands, knuckles, fingertips...

"Naruto," Sasuke whispered as his hand was brought up to Naruto's mouth, "please, let me."

Sasuke took a hold of Naruto's stilled hand and kissed each fingertip. Then he kissed the pad of each finger. Then, with a tentative tongue, he urged the tanned index finger into his expecting mouth. Naruto could only watch in fascination as his elf curled his tongue around his digit and began to suck. The suction, followed by the steady pistoning of his finger against the smooth insides of Sasuke's mouth was all Naruto could take before he ripped his towel off with his free hand. His own cock sprang forth, the heat all too apparent as he pressed himself against the small body below him.

The elf shimmied his body down so that if he angled his neck up a little, Naruto's cock stood erect in front of him. Sasuke let out a comforted sigh before kissing the tip. Naruto hummed in content, only to stop short as his breath caught in his throat when Sasuke took his entire length in his mouth.

"No... warning?" Naruto said breathlessly, though he seemed far from angry about it.

With the girth still in his mouth, Sasuke smirked briefly before pulling his head back, revealing Naruto's now-glistening cock. The blond exhaled through his teeth, as if wanting to keep composure. The elf rubbed his master's muscled thighs and continued to suck at an agonizingly slow pace. Naruto growled, but he remained still when Sasuke dug his nails into flesh, keeping him at bay.

For the next couple minutes, Sasuke went on with his torturous fellatio, taking his time mapping out all the distinct bumps and shape of his master's length. As he pulled back, keeping only the tip in his mouth, Naruto grabbed the elf's shoulders and pushed him back, releasing himself from that hot, wet mouth. When his grip moved to Sasuke's wrists, they stopped and stared at one another, breathless and slowly sobering.

Even with the reality of their situation kicking in, it did not deter Naruto from leaning down and capturing Sasuke's lips in his. _This_ was real. And it was _this_ that Naruto had wanted all along. Everything seemed to fall into place. It just felt _right_, to be embracing Sasuke like this.

"I... I think I love you," Naruto said as he stared at the elf below him.

Sasuke's eyes widened at the sudden confession. and there was no doubting the blush that crept into his cheeks. His disheveled look, pinned beneath Naruto with his kimono pooled around his naked form, only fueled the intense heat of the moment. The elf's breaths were coming in softly, but were still audible enough to rouse Naruto's excitement as Sasuke smiled.

Though he heard no confirmation, no "I love you" parroted back, Naruto could barely contain himself as he kissed Sasuke again. When they parted, Naruto's lust intensified, as evident by his darkened blue irises and expanded pupils.

Naruto moved himself so that their cocks were touching, and he spit in his hand before gripping them both. Small moans ripped from both of their throats as the tanned hand squeezed and moved up and down, slick flesh moving against slick flesh. The effect was immediate; the both of them struggled to catch their breaths for a moment and their bodies shivered. Tugging, pulling, twisting - it was driving Sasuke mad with an impassioned fever.

The impending pressure was building up in each one of them, and still they fucked Naruto's hand together with as much fervor as if they had just started. Sasuke gripped at his master's shoulders, then gave up entirely and let his arms drop to the futon. Instead, he reached down between them and cupped their ball sacs, causing both of them to shiver.

The overwhelming pleasure and stimulation of sensations pushed them closer and closer to climax until, at one particularly rough handling of their cocks, Sasuke shook violently. Dark eyes disappeared behind pale eyelids and his mouth went slack, lips slightly parted. And that in itself was a beautiful show, just for Naruto, to enjoy as he brought himself to climax. Ribbons of white shot out from the both of them, coating Naruto's lower torso and pooling on Sasuke's stomach.

Breathing hard, Naruto rolled off Sasuke and onto his back, lying next to his elf. They stared at the ceiling for some time, catching their breaths. Occasionally, Sasuke would jerk as he rode out the last of his orgasm.

But Sasuke was the first to move. He sat up and reached for the discarded towel, which he used to wipe Naruto off first, then himself. Noticing that his master's length still stood somewhat erect, Sasuke gripped it at the base and squeezed upwards, causing a bead of cum to form at the tip. He lapped it up with the tip of his tongue, earning a gasp from Naruto, and placed a chaste kiss before returning to his reclining position next to Naruto.

"I can't say I was expecting that," Naruto said as he turned his head to Sasuke, "but I'm happy."

Sasuke smiled, their fingers intertwining. The moment seemed so surreal for him; was there really a human who cared about him this much? To say he was the luckiest elf in the world was an understatement. His dark hair pooled around his face, and Naruto reached out to tuck a couple strands behind his ear. The tanned hand lingered, then with gentle fingertips, he traced up the outer shell of Sasuke's ear. The elf let out a small purr and closed his eyes, more than content.

oooOOooo

Naruto rounded the corner and headed down the hall into the darker corners of the building that people scarcely entered. But he was determined to prove to the Council - to himself - that he could engage even in the grittier missions. When he had awoken in the morning, with Sasuke curled up next to him in his futon, Naruto looked around the house for Kakashi, who seemed to have either left early or never came back the night before. Either way, he had a feeling that his childhood friend was here, continuing his interrogation with Orochimaru.

But when he walked up to the door, the deadbolt was still in place. Perhaps Kakashi had stepped out to take a break? Either way, he had to see for himself what was going on.

When he opened the door and stepped inside, darkness engulfed him, sans the lamp in the middle of the room. The form of what believed to be Orochimaru sat limp on the chair, just outside the radius of the light. Naruto walked over and nudged his leg, nearly jumping backwards in fright when he heard a groan.

"Hey, wake up," Naruto said, his confidence growing as he continued to nudge Orochimaru's leg.

The moment Orochimaru's eyes open, Naruto nearly regretted having come into the room. Yellow eyes - more yellow than he remembered them last - stared up at him.

"Ah, now they've sent you," Orochimaru snickered as he drops his head and allows it to sway, "No one else besides Hatake has kept me company. It's a nice change, I suppose."

Naruto frowned at Orochimaru's behavior. It seems a bit strange, though he supposed it was normal; sitting in the darkness without any sense of time is bound to shake a couple bolts loose. The blond crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"So Kakashi hasn't broken you yet," Naruto noted, "I half-expected to find you lying in a pool of your own blood."

Orochimaru chuckled. His tendency for small fits of laughter was beginning to creep Naruto out, but the blond kept his ground. He waited until the pale man tapered off into wheezing.

"You know what's so funny?" Orochimaru asked as he started giggling, "You'd think he'd be out for my blood, but he's not. He's out for _you_."

That creepy smile shone from the darkness, much like those yellow eyes. He seemed almost Cheshire-like, and unhuman.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked warily as he walked closer to Orochimaru, against his instincts, "Kakashi and I are on the same side. He wants you dead-"

"But that's where you're wrong!" Orochimaru jumped in excitedly, taking nearly all his strength to do so, "Sasuke cost quite a small fortune, but it was worth it. Do you know how many rich bastards I've ripped off with him? Almost every single time, I'd just get one of my men to kidnap Sasuke after I sold him, and we'd travel elsewhere - far enough - before selling him off again. But if only I'd been more careful. People were getting suspicious of me, and word was travelling fast. I was almost ready to _euthanize_ Sasuke to get rid of the evidence. But then you came by! Yes, you came by, and I was willing to sell him to get the authorities off my trail And it would have been such a shame to kill something so beautiful."

Naruto tried to digest all the information the man before him was spewing. He now understood why Orochimaru had been all-too-willing to get rid of him, but at the same time hesitant.

_"Actually," Naruto said as he turned back to Orochimaru, "I can take him off your hands if you'd like, since I assume you're offering him at a discount."_

_Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, only by a fraction of a millimeter, but Naruto noticed it. The blond stepped towards the cell and wrapped his hand around a bar._

_"All right. Take him. He's of no use to me, anyway."_

Moving to the left of Orochimaru, Naruto cocked his head. "So? What does this have to do with Kakashi?"

Orochimaru grinned, "Do you have any idea how _heartbroken_ he was when he sold Sasuke off to me? We were just chatting earlier, and he was just telling me how much he'd _love_ to have Sasuke back."

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows, finding it hard to believe that he and Kakashi were _having a chat_. "He didn't tell you that."

The grin never ceased as he hissed, "No, but I could taste it in the air, the way he reacted when I told him how _delectable_ Sasuke looked the last time I laid eyes on him. Of course, you weren't there, so you wouldn't know-"

A tanned fist burrowed itself into flesh before sending the pale man flying backwards, tumbling and toppling with his chair before crashing into one of the corners - most likely (and Naruto hoped) face-first. He could hear a pained groan, and that was enough for Naruto as he exited the room, his kimono fluttering behind him, as if trying to catch up with him in his flurry.

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><p><strong>AN:** Hey guys... so, long time no see, eh? I wish I could give you guys more of a regular upload schedule, but with the way this story's been messing with me, it's just not possible. I've had to rewrite this part, like, five times before it started to go the way I wanted. I had this done ages ago, but the original plot outline I made had some major loopholes that were just not forgivable. So... I had to reformulate my plot. And so it goes.

I hope you guys haven't give up on me yet! I sure as hell haven't given up on this story! We're starting to wind up to the climax, and then it'll denouement pretty quickly after that. At least, that's what I have planned. It could change for all I know, but we're more than halfway through the story at this point!

As usual, I'd _love_ to give shoutouts to _Dragon77_, _narutolover15_, Renae Shnucumbs, _roboguy45_, _lil joker 1989_, _Emirri_, _oreoanime11_, _The-Mexican-Ninja_, Byzantea, _BadButt94_, and Oashisu for your fuel to me. I'm really honored and cannot express the amount of gratitude I have for all your support.

The past week was sort of hell for me. I'm on the East Coast of the US, and Hurricane Sandy really blew through. She made her presence known, especially with my uni forcing me and my roommate to evacuate with only a half hour to pack. Can you imagine that? But anyway, I'm done rambling here. My love goes out to those who were severely affected by the storm.

P.S. Again, if you'd like to follow my Tumblr (sumi-shinzou), I'd be more than willing to follow back! I don't usually reblog (unless it's some really good SasuNaruSasu stuff), but I do love myself some inspiration on my dashboard. See you there, maybe?


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Sup guys! I hope I haven't completely driven you guys away with my _horrible_ update schedule.

Anyway, just a warning to you all; this chapter gets pretty dark towards the end... I had shivers writing it up.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Kakashi had the strongest urge to get a drink after being verbally <em>harassed<em> by Orochimaru. He pushed into a local restaurant and asked for a bottle of _sake_ when he sat down at a table. As the waiter hustled away to retrieve his drink, Kakashi sat back and scowled as he thought.

Some odd feeling had been eating at him since he came to Konoha - more specifically, when he first saw Sasuke in the middle of town, looking lost. He remember wanting to reach out for the elf and stroke his hair, trailing his fingers up to those pointed ears that he'd gotten so used to looking, touching. But instead he'd settled for calling out to him, his voice deepening with a yearning he barely recognized.

He'd remembered all those little interactions with Sasuke, how those eyes would widen in shock and fall heavily in lust. It made him angry when he recalled the time he walked in on Naruto _devouring_ Sasuke. The elf looked panicked, like he didn't even want it.

And it was highly hypocritical of Kakashi to be angry at Naruto. After all, he himself took advantage of the elf his _entire_ life. He should have expected Naruto would try at some point, but Kakashi remembered how averse Naruto seemed to the idea of fornicating with elves. How _dare_ he neglect a beauty like Sasuke?

Little had he realized, Kakashi kept his interrogation methods on Orochimaru somewhat mild in comparison to what he had the actual capacity to do. But it had only occurred to him that he'd _wanted_ to prolong the process, just so he could keep in contact with Sasuke. If he finished the mission, then he'd essentially end his time with the elf.

Then he realized he was _attached_ to Sasuke. There was a yearning that he never quite acknowledged, but every time he laid his eyes on that beautiful, smooth, pale skin, Kakashi found himself wanting the elf more and more.

Shaking his head, Kakashi sighed and nodded to the waiter as he placed a warmed bottle on the table, alongside a small ceramic cup. He poured himself a cup and downed it.

As he set the cup down, a busty woman dropped into the seat across from him.

"You're supposed to be interrogating Orochimaru," Tsunade stated, her face pink from alcohol.

"And you're supposed to be running a town," Kakashi replied back, watching as Konoha's mayor poured herself some of his _sake_ and tilted her head back.

Tsunade grunted in response, leaning back in her seat, "There's nothing to do, so I took the afternoon off."

Remaining quiet, Kakashi moved to pour himself some more _sake_, but Tsunade stopped his hand. She stared him in the eye, and for a moment, Kakashi wondered if Tsunade could sense his distress. However, when she hiccuped violently, he dispelled the idea immediately.

"Stop drinking. Either you go interrogate Orochimaru or get some rest. I need you to _break_ him. _Now_, preferably."

And to prevent him from drinking any more, Tsunade took the entire bottle and downed it in one go. Her hand hammered onto the table, and her shoulders shook from another violent hiccup.

Again, Kakashi balled his hands into fists and dug his nails into his palm as he left.

oooOOooo

On the way home, Naruto could not help but think back, over and over again, to what Orochimaru had said. He was beginning to feel paranoid, and it shook him to the core. But why would the creepy man be telling the truth? It seemed more probable that he was trying to stir him up, but all the same, it was something to wonder.

What if Kakashi was really trying to get Sasuke back? That would really explain why he'd had the feeling that the silver-haired man stared a little too long at the elf when they'd encounter one another. Even if he didn't actually have the intention of taking him back, wouldn't it be reasonable for Kakashi to be nostalgic of the past?

When Naruto got home, he kicked off his _geta_ and walked into the kitchen, where Sasuke was brewing some soup. The elf turned around from the stove and smiled in greeting.

"Good morning."

Naruto remained somewhat stoic, his mind filled with horrid thoughts of Sasuke being taken away from him. But he couldn't continue thinking all those bad things, not when his elf stood before him in the flesh. The way Sasuke smiled at him caused Naruto to smile right back.

"Morning," was his simple reply, "did you sleep well?"

Sasuke blushed immediately, hands shaking with clumsiness as he fiddled with the front of his yukata. He was getting better at tying the sash around his waist, but Naruto made it a show to sidle up next to him and redo the sash. As he released the fabric from its knot, the yukata fluttered dangerously. He'd only meant to retie the bow, but he stared hard at the sliver of skin on Sasuke's thigh, gulping hard as Naruto suddenly began to feel a little _too_ warm.

"Wha-"

Finding that he couldn't help himself, Naruto scooped Sasuke up in his arms and headed for his bedroom, but not without some shouting from the elf about leaving the stove on. When the door was shut and locked behind them, Naruto set Sasuke down onto the tatami floor.

"But the soup-"

"Forget about it," Naruto growled, suddenly feeling annoyance at Sasuke's lack of attention on him, "We have better things to do right now."

Sasuke stopped and looked at Naruto for a second before saying, "Is... something bothering you?"

The blond peeled the fabric off delicate skin and pressed his lips to every bit of surface he could find, ignoring the elf's questioning. Sasuke sighed, almost admitting defeat. But he sat up just enough to cup Naruto's cheek and look at him in the eyes.

"Naruto."

It was somewhat of a request, though Sasuke wasn't quite sure how Naruto would respond. Those blue eyes were troubled, but the elf just wasn't sure why. He sighed again, letting his head fall back onto the hard ground. Naruto placed open-mouthed kisses all over, and even sucked hard enough on his skin to ensure that a hickey would show up later. But Sasuke let him continue, sighing when his master would breathe warm air across his skin.

The ministrations stopped, however, when Sasuke was sure his body was thoroughly marked. Naruto trailed his lips back up and took Sasuke's lips, nibbling at his bottom lip to plump it. When he finally pulled away, Sasuke looked absolutely delicious, with the way his wet, parted lips were set in a small pout.

A knock came at the door, causing both Naruto and Sasuke to jump. Hesitantly, Naruto walked over to unlock the door and opened it just a sliver.

"The stove's been unattended for a while. Someone should really be looking over it," came Kakashi's voice.

Much to Naruto's annoyance, Sasuke quickly wrapped his yukata around him and tied the sash around his body in a makeshift knot as he pushed past Naruto and darted towards the kitchen. Kakashi stared after the elf, then glanced briefly at Naruto, face passive.

The blond furrowed his eyebrows in the slightest, hoping that he'd get the message across that he was watching Kakashi's every move. The silver-haired man turned back to stare at Sasuke, then let out a hum, as if he suddenly realized something.

"You should watch that he doesn't get himself into trouble," Kakashi noted, "You never know what might happen to him."

Naruto stared hard as Kakashi headed for the kitchen. He followed right after, feeling paranoid and protective of Sasuke. The three of them fit into the kitchen fine, but Sasuke glanced at the two men as he stirred the soup pot.

The silver-haired man stood right behind Sasuke, staring over a pale shoulder into the pot. He wrapped his hand around Sasuke's, which held a wooden ladle, and lifted it to his mouth to take a sip. The elf stared, wide-eyed and slightly disturbed, at his former master. When Kakashi let go of the elf's hand, he poked at Sasuke's shoulder.

"If you're going to play around, at least be subtle," Kakashi said as he pulled the yukata over a bruising hickey, "It makes you look like a common whore."

"Hey, watch it," Naruto warned Kakashi.

Sasuke looked surprised, but he seemed to recover somewhat quickly from Kakashi's jab at him. He pulled at his yukata to make sure that his skin was covered up properly.

"All I'm saying is, I'd never let him parade around with hickeys like he's proud to have them."

There was malice in Kakashi's voice. It was like a snake rearing its head to attack with its fangs ready to pierce flesh.

Naruto snapped, "Whatever you did with Sasuke is irrelevant to what I do with him now, so back off."

Kakashi's eyes lit up. "Oho, you know about our history? I'm upset you're not any angrier about it. Hey Sasuke, have you told him all about our rendezvous recently?"

The tension thickened in the room so quickly, Sasuke didn't realize he was holding his breath as he tried to shrink away from the two men. Kakashi grabbed the elf's elbow and held him in place, those dark eyes growing wide with fear.

"We're settling this _now_. I'm tired of acting for this little _shit_ so that he can keep having this fake, happy life with you.

"And you haven't changed a bit, Naruto. I don't think you realize just how much Sasuke's been stringing you along like some poor, lovestruck sap. Did you know that he _begged_ for me to bring him to release the other night? Or that he came for me on multiple occasions?"

Sasuke began, in a desperate attempt to explain himself, "Don't listen to him. Please, Naruto, he's been _forcing_ me."

Kakashi snarled and, with his free hand, wrapped around the thin neck and squeezed. The elf choked, trying to wrench himself free and looking over at Naruto with pleading eyes.

"Shut up. I'm not talking to you," Kakashi hissed, his fingertips digging into flesh.

But Naruto remained still, doing absolutely nothing to stop the other man. Instead he watched, mind in shock, as Kakashi released Sasuke, the elf taking in sharp breaths before going into a coughing fit. Naruto didn't know what to think. He had been relieved, at first, when Sasuke had revealed to him that Kakashi was his master once. But just to know now that he'd been unfaithful to him, _all this time_...

"You're too lenient on him," Kakashi said as casually as if he were giving dating advice, "You treat him like a _human being_. He's nothing more than an elf, and a slave, at that. You've spoiled him, and he will never properly see you as his master."

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest defensively. He glanced at the tight hand around Sasuke's elbow and looked back up at his childhood friend. And all this time, he avoided Sasuke's pleading eyes.

"Naruto, please..."

Sighing, the blond pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his eyes tight. Pain etched itself onto his facial features, giving Naruto a more frazzled, aged look. He seemed absolutely exhausted, his eyes a dim blue when his eyes opened again.

"I just... I need the both of you to leave my sight."

Kakashi and Sasuke remained silent, both staring at Naruto incredulously.

"Now!" Naruto shouted at them, causing Sasuke to rip his elbow from Kakashi's grip, and rush out of the kitchen, into his bedroom. But Kakashi simply shoved his hands in his pockets and waltzed out, wearing Naruto's patience thin.

oooOOooo

Naruto paced in his backyard, staring hard at the wooden dummy before him while he fingered the handle of his sword. He took a deep breath and tried to clear his head, only to fail miserably as he thought back to Sasuke. With both hands gripping his sword, Naruto slashed before him and watched as the wood split in half horizontally. Throwing his weight into yet another slice, the remaining wood stump was reduced to smaller pieces, split down into two vertical planks.

His sword fell to the floor, the metal creating a strange, distorted, and wavy sound as it hit the ground. There was a moment of silence as all sounds tapered off, Naruto having scared away the cawing birds that were perched nearby. The blond exhaled deeply, then let out a long yell that left him woozy when he was done.

And that had left Naruto somewhat more relaxed than before, though his muscles were still tense and his mind going a mile a minute. He inhaled deeply a couple of times and bent down to pick up his sword.

As much as he could, Naruto tried to clear his mind of Sasuke. But no matter what he did, something always, at least off-handedly, reminded him of the elf. Sure, they had only been in each other's company for a short while, but something between the two of them clicked. Naruto enjoyed having Sasuke around, even if it was just a simple greeting when he returned home.

Naruto sheathed his sword and retreated into the house, his body warm from exerting himself. The house was almost too quiet. There were no sounds of dinner cooking, of Sasuke running around the house doing chores, of the bath running. He walked into the bathroom, the eerie loneliness thickening the air.

But the blond could not bring himself to care about where Kakashi and Sasuke were. At the moment, he was preoccupied with removing his clothes and settling down in the hot bath, his mind as foggy as the bathroom itself. He slung his arms over the tub rim, sitting back and sinking until the top of the water settled above his pecs.

His mind felt numb, as did his body. Naruto forced his eyelids open when he felt them close heavily, exhaustion hitting him hard. He sighed and tilted his head back, pressing up against the wall, and let out another deep breath before quickly settling into a deep sleep.

oooOOooo

"Get away from me," Sasuke hissed as he stumbled backwards into the empty interrogation room, "You have no right kidnapping me."

The elf pressed himself against the wall as Kakashi pressed forward, and he shut his eyes in response when palms pressed on either side of him, trapping him between the wall and the despicable man in front of him. Kakashi had threatened him with his sword, and Sasuke had no choice but to leave the house and follow the other's orders to a T.

"Leave me alone," Sasuke said softly this time, pressing his own palms against the wall behind him.

"And not take advantage of the fact that your master isn't looking?" Kakashi replied right back, his tone mocking him, "Give it up. He's practically _disowned_ you. _Worthless trash_."

Nails scratching the concrete wall behind him, Sasuke clenched his teeth and pursed his lips. He didn't want to think that Naruto would simply throw him away like that. They'd only been acquaintanced with one another for a little while, but his master at least _seemed_ to enjoy his company.

Kakashi clicked his tongue in disappointment. "You poor creature. Do you really think he'll come back for you after what you did to him? You're just like your mother."

Sasuke's eyebrows knitted together, and those dark eyes glared up at Kakashi- questioning, angry, curious. And he did not even flinch when his former master leaned down to look him directly in the eye.

"Mikoto was a useless piece of shit who'd risk her life sneaking out of the house to _fuck_ some street scum and get pregnant. Did you know, Sasuke, that you aren't her first child?"

Eyes widened, and Kakashi let out a dry laugh, void of any laughter and filled with merciless _hate_. Sasuke shuffled along the wall in an attempt to get away from the slowly-maddening man before him. He cursed when Kakashi lunged forward, pushing him into the corner, where he was irrevocably stuck. The silver-haired man stopped right in front of Sasuke, reaching out and tilting Sasuke's chin up with his forefinger.

"I had a family," Sasuke said weakly, "and you took it all away. _Why?_"

Clicking his tongue again, this time in disapproval, Kakashi moved his hand to cup the elf's cheek and replied, "I think your time with Naruto has made you forget that you are an elf, Sasuke. You deserve _nothing_."

There was something about the malice in Kakashi's voice, albeit its softness, that struck Sasuke hard. He didn't even fight when the other man pressed his lips to the elf's, his hot tongue pushing past pliant lips.

When Kakashi finally pulled away, he licked his own lips.

"I'll be back for you."

Kakashi then retreated from the room, locking the deadbolt in place.

Sasuke stared at the door and leaned back against the wall, sliding down until he sat on the cold concrete floor. He pulled his knees to his chest and took in a shuddering breath, focusing on the darkness before him as the light from the middle of the room lit his peripheral.

In all the years he'd been with Kakashi, Sasuke could never get used to the psychological abuse.

oooOOooo

"I'm here to see Sachiko."

Karin looked up from her book, only to perk up at the sight of Naruto. She set her book down and adjusted her posture, pushing her bosom out.

"Sachiko? You're not usually the type to stick with just one of my girls. Did you enjoy her _that much_ the last time you were here?"

Naruto growled, "Karin, just give me a room."

The redhead cocked an eyebrow coyly and slouched back, leisurely examining her nails.

"I would, but I'll have to give you someone else. Sachiko is... occupied at the moment. Fumio is free, though, if you're interested."

Clenching his jaw, the blond pondered over it for a second. He'd wanted to see Sachiko specifically; Fumio, with her cascading, dirty blonde hair, just wasn't what Naruto was in the mood for at the moment. To be honest, the only one he was even remotely interested in was Sasuke himself, but Naruto couldn't even stomach the idea of touching him... not when he knew Kakashi had had his hands all over him.

"I'll have to pass for today then," Naruto said as he turned to leave.

Karin made no other move to stop him, not even to persuade him to take another girl.

oooOOooo

Kakashi looked on dispassionately as Orochimaru choked on his own blood, the deep red liquid seeping out the corners of his mouth. Just one more minute, and the silver-haired man would hit him again, this time to turn the snake-like man over on his side to expel the blood from his mouth.

After Orochimaru's coughing fit, he lay still with his cheek resting on the sick puddle of his own blood, watery eyes glaring up at Kakashi. An expected, bloody smile was shot at the silver-haired man before a low laughter filled the room. Long, gnarled black hair covered the majority of Orochimaru's face as he pushed himself up to rest on his shoulder, his yellow eyes locked onto Kakashi's

"I underestimated you, Hatake," Orochimaru rasped before going into a small coughing fit.

As the man on the floor grew silent, Kakashi loomed over him and waited. If he was correct in predicting Orochimaru's behavior, the other man would speak up again, most likely to mock him.

"But if you think your methods are working now, think again. Your blows are still weak. _I wonder what's holding you back,_" he continued, "Or rather, _who?_"

After having mentally prepared himself for the mind games he knew Orochimaru would play, Kakashi barely reacted to the other man's omnipotence of his personal dilemma. Did the other even know Sasuke was in the neighboring room? He brought himself back into reality and pressed the sole of his shoe onto Orochimaru's side, satisfied when he heard a grunt.

"Perhaps you don't realize the position you're in, Orochimaru. Tsunade's growing impatient, and she is beginning to think that keeping you alive is not worth our efforts."

It was a bluff, but Kakashi had nothing else to work off of. He'd wanted to speak with the mayor of Konoha for some time about alternate plans of action, in case Orochimaru refused to break. But neither had barely the time to set aside time to sit down and discuss it with the Council. However, Tsunade knew the reality of the world all too well, so Kakashi wouldn't put it past her to order an execution on Orochimaru. And if a death threat wasn't going to get through to him, then perhaps he really did deserve to die.

Orochimaru let out another grunt when Kakashi put more weight on his leg then replied, "I suppose I'd be no use to you either way. Dead or alive, I'm going to tell you nothing. But once I'm dead, you'll have no reason to stick around your little _slut_. So _tragic_."

That was the last straw. Kakashi pulled Orochimaru off the ground and set the chair upright before pulling out a hidden dagger from the hilt of his sword. He stabbed the sharp point into the prisoner's shoulder, cringing when Orochimaru let out a howl of pain. Kakashi put one hand on his shoulder and came face-to-face with Orochimaru, his free hand gripping the handle of his dagger and twisting it ever so slightly in both directions.

Sweat began to form on the other's face, and facial features were distorted into an even uglier mug. Staring dispassionately at him, Kakashi pushed the dagger in deeper until the tip of the blade started to poke out of Orochimaru's flesh.

"I'm not playing games, Orochimaru. I'm getting pretty sick of your shit and you know as well as I do that I can slice your throat open right now."

Orochimaru, with dried blood on his face and fresh blood gushing out of his shoulder, laughed. It started with the shake of his shoulders, which looked to cause him more pain, and the bellowing laughter grew. Suddenly, he stopped and let the silence ring in Kakashi's ears before he hissed, true to his serpentine ways.

"_Then do it._"

Kakashi found it nearly impossible to mentally prepare himself for what Orochimaru had to dish out. He thought he had the upper hand, the cool head. But this sick, twisted man sitting before him always bested him. So he did the only thing he could in that situation, to make it all stop. Kakashi ripped the dagger out from Orochimaru's shoulder, earning him another howl.

And he slit the pale man's throat.

The cut was barely visible, a little underneath Orochimaru's ear. There were no last words, just simply the widening of eyes and warm, crimson blood seeping out from the gash. Kakashi watched as the man before him sat still, dying. It was only when he was absolutely sure that Orochimaru had bled out when he moved from his spot.

There was no way he could explain this. It certainly hadn't been self-defense; Orochimaru hadn't even _tried_ loosening himself from his chair, let alone escaping. Kakashi stepped forward tentatively, briefly frightening himself at the thought of the snake man's body reanimating. He let out a shaky sigh, blade still in hand, and left the interrogation room, not even bothering to set the deadbolt.

He was in a state of frenzy. Kakashi walked to the next room and unbolted the door before stealing away into the darkness once again. Noticing Sasuke in the corner where he'd left him last, the silver-haired man approached the elf, hand gripping tightly around the hilt of the dagger.

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><p><strong>AN:** Char, are you some sick fuck who decided to leave us at this _**horrific **_cliffhanger? Why yes, yes I am. But do not worry, my pretties! This will _not_ be the demise of Sasuke!

I've also more-or-less figured out that there will be one or two chapters left after this one. This story is supposed to denouement pretty quickly, but who knows what will happen in this messed-up brain of mine.

A huge thank you to mikako17, _roboguy45_, _yamiatemyugi_, Mesos, _Emirri_, _lil joker 1989_, Lover of Emotions, Chria, _The-Mexican-Ninja_, _oreoanime11_, deepintheclowds, _BadButt94_, and Hydracialous for all the support! And another thanks to all my readers!

I really appreciate you all sticking with me. Seriously, I can't say it enough.

After being on winter break for a month, I'm about to head back to uni for my spring semester. But! I am going to force myself to give you guys the next update in a reasonable amount of time. I really hate leaving you all hanging like this. ;-;


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Hi all! It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry for the delay! On top of work, I recently moved into an apartment with my fiance, so it's been nothing but running back and forth, trying to pack and move everything.

Anyway, here's to another chapter. We're getting close to the end! Will it be ridiculously adorable and happy? Or miserable and depressing? I don't know yet (I've got ideas for both), but hopefully I haven't run you guys off with my lack of updating.

Another round of thanks to JollyCooperation, abbie pain, _lil joker 1989_, _roboguy45_, Shane, Ttrace (yes, I do thank you for your input), uchiha hinata21, _BadButt94_, Omomoe, and Guest!

Cheers!

_Ninja edit: _Added the reviewers of last chapter! Can't believe I forgot that *smacks forehead*

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><p>Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat when those familiar, crazed eyes looked into his own. His eyes flickered to the bloodied dagger in Kakashi's hand, stomach churning uncomfortably. The elf pressed himself back further into the wall, watching with fear in his eyes as the other man stumbled into the room, letting the door close behind him.<p>

He dared not to say a word. Even with fear rattling his bones, Sasuke didn't even make one little utterance or whimper, hoping quietly that the man before him would snap out of whatever stupor he was currently in.

"Get up," Kakashi rasped, his hand still around his dagger.

The elf complied immediately, scrambling clumsily as he struggled to get up. His legs were somewhat weak after having spent a good amount of time sitting on the cold floor. Sasuke had little time to properly stretch out his legs before Kakashi raised his arm and stabbed the dagger into the wall next to Sasuke's face.

"Oh god," the elf breathed out, barely audible.

All he had to do was turn his head just a little to the left, and he would be able to see the blood glistening on that dagger's metallic surface. Sasuke took a sharp breath and forced his attention back to Kakashi, who was staring at the floor with his head bowed.

Sasuke didn't know what to do. His mind was void of all other thoughts, and the pit of his stomach felt hollow from dread- absolute dread. In all the miserable years he'd been with Kakashi, Sasuke never felt more afraid of the man. He looked far-off, almost seemingly unaware of what he was doing. It was a frightening, maddened temper that Sasuke knew he had no chance of getting through to snap Kakashi out of it.

"Kakashi!"

Both Sasuke and Kakashi snapped their head to the door as it burst open, forcing the hallway light to flood the room. The elf was momentarily blinded, eyes unable to adjust to the rapid change of light. When his eyes refocused, Sasuke saw his master's figure in the doorway, blond light shining like a beacon of hope.

"Naruto!" he shouted out, relief immediately washing over him.

But unlike Sasuke, Kakashi did not appreciate Naruto interrupting them. The silver-haired man grabbed ahold of his dagger once again and pulled Sasuke with his free arm, his forearm pushing under Sasuke's chin. Sasuke panicked, his brief moment of relief fleeing once again when he felt the sharp blade against his exposed neck, letting out a whimper and standing on his toes to try to get himself as far removed from the dagger as possible.

Naruto, in the meantime, watched the scene unfold before him. He noticed the dagger was bloody and scanned Sasuke's body for injury. Finding none, his mind worked; if there was no injury on either Kakashi nor Sasuke, the blood is somewhat fresh, and there's no panic outside in the hall, then...

A sick, menacing laugh emanated from Kakashi. Naruto paled, only slightly, but he knew there was something horribly wrong. The man before him was not the same as he was years ago when they were students. No, the younger Kakashi had taken a very wrong turn some point in his life, and now, he was nothing more than a despicable human being - the type they'd both sworn to never become.

"I called his bluff," Kakashi panted, his breath growing heavier and more frantic by the minute, "He didn't think I'd do it, but I did."

The dagger in Kakashi's hand shone for a millisecond as he pressed it a little bit harder against Sasuke who in turn was shaking, which was evident in his breathing. His hands were now on his assailant's forearm, as if trying to keep from choking to death. Naruto put his hand out, signaling the other man to stop what he was doing.

"Okay, so you called Orochimaru's bluff. No big deal. The man was bound to be killed anyway."

And it was true. Naruto had estimated only a week more, at most, until Tsunade gave the o.k. to get rid of Orochimaru. He was a waste of precious resources, and if he wasn't going to give up any information, then there was no point in keeping him around.

"No! You don't understand. You never do," Kakashi replied as he shook his head,.

Naruto had little choice in action. But the first thing he had to do was release Sasuke from the maddened man's hold. He wracked his brain for something- anything- that could send the situation in the right direction.

"What is it that I don't understand? Kakashi, you can talk to me. Holding Sasuke hostage won't do either of us any good. Just let him go, and-"

"Hah! You'd like that, wouldn't you? I'd let this slut go, then you and me would _talk_. I'd be off on my merry way, and you'd get to keep Sasuke. Why should I make it that easy for you?"

"It's not a matter of making this easy for me, Kakashi. I just want what's best for all of us, including Sasuke."

Apparently the last bit was the wrong thing to say, and Sasuke began to cry out as Kakashi dragged the dagger lightly enough across his neck to cut, but not deep enough to cause heavy bleeding. Naruto put his hands out before him and called out to the deeply disturbed man before him.

"Woah, woah, woah! Wait! What do you want, then? How can I make this easier on you?"

Kakashi paused, having realized that Naruto was opening himself up to negotiation... probably willing to do anything he wished for Sasuke's sake. He loosened his grip on Sasuke and even lowered his dagger, but he still kept the elf's back pressed up against him.

"I want you to hand over your ownership of Sasuke to me."

The atmosphere in the room got oddly tense in a matter of one second. Naruto's entire being darkened with some strange aura, and Sasuke shivered as those intense eyes glared at Kakashi.

It took a moment for Kakashi's terms to sink into Naruto's brain. He realized that, in some strange fluke, Orochimaru was right. Kakashi _did_ want Sasuke back. But how desperate was he? And how far was he willing to go? The blond cursed Orochimaru for being right, and then cursed himself for being so oblivious.

"You're serious?"

"Don't mock me," Kakashi snapped as his grip tightened, "I'm not the one who loves this _thing_."

Naruto's face flushed. It wasn't that he was ashamed or embarrassed of his feelings, but rather that it was obvious, even to this demented man. He glanced at them and noticed that Sasuke's hand was reaching down to Kakashi's sword. Pulling his attention away from what looked like a makeshift plan to free himself, Naruto turned back to Kakashi.

"Even if that's the case, what makes you think I'd allow you to take him from me?"

Kakashi's lip curled into a sneer as he replied, "Because I know you love him enough to not want to see him die. But I, for one, couldn't care any less if he died by my blade. Especially if it means no one else will have him."

Despite the disturbing declaration from the silver-haired man, Naruto tried his best to further distract Kakashi. Sasuke's fingers were so close to the hilt of the dagger...

"Won't you negotiate for something else? Money? Weapons? Hell, I'd even give you my house if that's what you wanted."

For a moment, it seemed Kakashi was considering. But he then shook his head.

"Nope. Either you give me Sasuke, or I kill him. Or I could just say fuck it and kill him. No contract or negotiations required."

The next few seconds were all a blur, and it took Naruto some time later on to recall exactly what had happened in those moments. Sasuke had finally gotten close enough to Kakashi's sword and pulled it out from its sheath, nearly dropping the heavy metal. But the adrenaline pumping through the elf's body gave him just enough ability to wield his former master's sword and spin around to brandish the sword in front of him, creating a barrier between him and Kakashi.

"Don't treat me like I'm some cattle you can bargain for," Sasuke hissed, "I'm worth more than you ever will be, you _fucking_ scum!"

Naruto wasn't even sure why or how Sasuke had gotten so pissed, but he pulled out his sword as well. He was amazed at how Sasuke's shrinking fear of swords was not affecting him in the given moment. The two of them cornered Kakashi, forcing him to press himself up against the wall pathetically.

"Give me one good reason not to kill you right now," Sasuke hissed.

Kakashi tilted his head up when his sword's tip approached his neck. He was visibly sweating now, and Naruto was almost afraid to get in between the two.

But he couldn't just stand there idly, so Naruto tried to reason with the elf, "Sasuke, the Council may not be so lenient on you if you do anything crazy."

The elf hesitated for a moment, lowering the sword ever-so-slightly as he seemed to regain some of his sanity.

"Just face the facts, Sasuke. No human in their right mind will ever treat you right. You were born a slave, and you will _die_ a slave."

Sparks lit up in Sasuke's eyes, and it seemed wholly unnecessary that Naruto even tried to convince him to back down.

"Hefty words for a man who's at the mercy of an elf," Sasuke spat vehemently as he waved the sword before him, the weight of the weapon becoming apparent.

"I'm not the one with a whore for a mother."

The seemingly asinine argument between the two suddenly seemed to have struck hard with Sasuke. Crying out, he rushed forward with the sword brandished before him, pushing the tip into Kakashi's abdomen. Naruto's eyes widened as blood seeped out from the wound, dyeing Kakashi's kimono in a crimson hue. Kakashi looked up in shock and coughed, blood coming up through his mouth as he let out a shaking breath.

"I didn't think you would ever get over your fear," Kakashi laughed bitterly, "To think you'd kill me with _my_ sword."

Silently, Sasuke retracted the sword, causing Kakashi to drop to the floor in a heap. He was breathing hard, and Naruto, still somewhat paralyzed with shock, realized that his childhood friend was dying before his eyes. Kakashi probably had no more than a few minutes. Naruto had known this man once before, but not now- not anymore. So he looked down dispassionately, only feeling pity.

Kakashi let out a grunt of pain and moved his head to the side, looking away from Naruto.

"Heh, you probably think pretty lowly of me right now," Kakashi said slowly as he shut his eyes.

Naruto remained silent. He was angry that Kakashi had caused so much havoc in their lives. But all the same, the blond remembered a time when this man was his _senpai_, a wonderfully skilled warrior who he looked up to. The Kakashi he knew in the past seemed so distant and far away from the one in the present, sitting pathetically in his own pool of blood.

With the last bit of strength he had left, Kakashi heaved his final confession, "I loved you... Sasuke..."

And as the remaining breath in Kakashi's lungs finally expelled past his lips, Sasuke dropped the sword in his hand. It clanged loudly to the floor as it hit concrete. Just as Naruto turned to the elf, the small, pale body fell to the floor.

"Sasuke!"

Naruto rushed over and took Sasuke in his arms, attempting to wake him with the gentle slaps to those ghostly cheeks. He glanced over at Kakashi's lifeless body, then forced his eyes away to refocus and get Sasuke to another room. Lifting the elf in his arms, Naruto pushed his way out of the interrogation room and headed towards Tsunade's office.

Everything was moving too fast. Naruto barely had a moment to let everything settle in his brain, and now, he was full of adrenaline and very little thought. When he got to Tsunade's door, he rapped his knuckles harshly on the wood and proceeded to enter the room, not bothering to wait for a response.

"Naruto, what in the hell do you think you're doing?" she yelled as she got up from her desk.

Naruto placed Sasuke down on the sofa at the side of the room, brushing away his bangs from his face and breathing a sigh of relief when he saw the elf's chest rise and fall with each breath. Perhaps it was silly of him to think, but the blond thought that Sasuke had _died_ on him from the shock. He turned to Tsunade with a somber face.

"You might have to come see this for yourself. Orochimaru and Kakashi are..."

The blond never looked so serious as his voice tapered off. Tsunade looked into her apprentice's eyes, sensing unrest, and followed after Naruto, who quietly led her to the bloody rooms downstairs.

oooOOooo

When Sasuke woke up, he looked down, surprised to hear the clanking of the chains around his wrists. They were in some kind of jail cell, but instead of bars, there were walls. Looking around at his bare surroundings, the elf's heart pumped hard and fast when he spotted Naruto sitting in the other corner with similar chains on his wrists.

"Naruto...?"

The blond head looked up, grinning one-sidedly as he gave a small wave.

"Good, you're finally awake."

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows, trying to remember what had happened. He only remembered bits and pieces, but when the color red flashed before his eyes, the elf shut them, trying to drown out the bloody memory of his former master. The most vivid thing he could recall was the way Kakashi's raspy breath released his confession of love, something Sasuke had longed to hear from him.

And then he recalled his old master's silent, almost pathetic, death. It seemed surreal, he wasn't even sure it had happened.

"I... did I really do it?" Sasuke asked quietly, eyes still shut.

There was silence for some time until Naruto let out a small, "yes". Sasuke let out a shaky breath, then pulled his wrists, listening to the clinking of the metal. Little had he realized, the situation had become all-too-real.

"But I didn't tell them you did it."

Sasuke forced his eyes open, looking over at his master incredulously as he replied, "What? Why?"

Naruto didn't even skip a beat, "You should understand better than anyone here what would have happened to you if I did."

The elf looked down at his hands, completely still. There was no good reason for Naruto to keep his mouth shut. All he had to do was tell Tsunade the truth and he'd be free to go. Free to leave him behind. Sasuke was just a slave, after all. Naruto could easily get another like him.

The door to the cell opened, and Sasuke and Naruto looked up to see a pale-eyed, long-haired man step into the room. He stared back at them passively, obviously uncaring of who they were and why they were there.

"The Council would like to see the both of you."

Naruto stood, and Sasuke followed suit, though somewhat reluctantly. They made their way over to the door, where there were two burly men waiting to escort them. As Sasuke exited the room, one of the men pushed him forward, causing him to stumble.

"Hey, watch it!" Naruto scolded.

The other man kicked Sasuke behind the knee, sending him tumbling to the ground. The elf's face scraped the ground, and he barely had time to feel the pain before the pale-eyed man grabbed Sasuke by the back of his kimono and stood him up.

"Takano, Kohaku, stop playing around. The Council is waiting."

"Sorry, Neji."

Naruto looked over at Sasuke, wanting to help him, but he received a light push from Neji.

"You too. Keep walking."

They all headed upstairs, and it was only then that Sasuke realized they were being held in the basement of town hall. When they reached the Council's meeting room, Neji nudged them forward as he opened the door.

"This is where we leave you... good luck."

The sound of the door shutting behind them broke right into silence as the elders looked at the two of them with scrutiny. Naruto tried to offer Sasuke a reassuring smile, but the elf's attention was directed to the floor, his head bowed. He could just barely see Sasuke's bright red face where his cheek met the floor.

"Despicable. Covering up for this lowly thing. In all my years, I've never encountered such a case as this," one elder said.

Neither Sasuke nor Naruto spoke up, both waiting quietly for the elders to say their piece. Naruto was familiar with the way these geezers worked; you had to listen to them go on and on about how you're destroying the very fiber of civilization by committing whatever crime you did. And then they'd usually decide on some kind of sentencing.

After perhaps about fifteen minutes of the elders berating Naruto, the main elder cleared his throat and began to read off the paper in his hand.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you are being charged on the account for the murder of Hatake Kakashi of Lightning Country. And as an accessory to the murder, your elf will be charged as well."

Naruto stepped forward, immediately irate, "Wait, you can't do that!"

"The Council does not recognize _it_ as a person with legal rights, Mr. Uzumaki. Therefore, the justice system has no bounds unto which it can punish elves. Now, if you would please let us finish-"

"No, you're going to listen to me. Sasuke didn't commit any crime!"

"Quite the contrary, Mr. Uzumaki. Because you refuse to disclose the truth, we have no choice but to act as we see fit. And what we see is a lonely man desperately clinging on to that _filth_. We could very well send you to the asylum. You obviously aren't in your right mind; this elf's driven you mad. Now please! If you do not settle down-"

"Then what?" Naruto challenged, "Tsunade, you can't let the Council do this-"

"What Tsunade has to say on the matter is irrelevant," the elder snapped, "You are still held liable for Hatake Kakashi's murder, and so-"

"I did it! Please, Naruto, stop this! Council, I am the one responsible for his murder, not my master!"

Sasuke had kept quiet as long as he could, but with the increasing intensity of the argument between his master and the Council, the elf could not remain an idle party. The room fell completely silent, and it was a matter of moments before the Elder commanded Tsunade to retrieve the two guards. The two large men appeared at either side of Sasuke and Naruto, looming and hovering with their muscled upper bodies.

"The Council has received a confession from this filth. Take it down to the isolation chambers and make sure all visits are prohibited. Am I clear?"

Considering how large the two guards were, they moved rather nimbly and grabbed ahold of Sasuke, each holding an arm and hoisting him up easily. Neji appeared out of nowhere, removing the handcuffs from Naruto's wrists without a word.

"Wait!" Naruto exclaimed as he turned and tried to reach out for Sasuke, "Wait, you can't do this!"

"In the meantime," the Elder said as he turned his attention back to Naruto, "you will be kept under surveillance for twenty-four hours. If we deem you mentally stable after this period of time, you will then be released. Neji, please escort Mr. Uzumaki to the hospital and keep an eye on him until we relieve you."

All Naruto could do in that moment was allow Neji to grab his shoulder and usher him gently out the room, mind completely blank and mouth empty of words.

oooOOooo

Sasuke could barely remember what happened after he confessed in front of the Council. He remembered the two large men grabbing him and dragging him down the stairs, into the depths of the prison. But before he was thrown into the small isolation chamber, the elf could only briefly recall large fists pounding on his small body. After that, he was unable to remember anything else.

When he woke up in the small, walled-in cell, Sasuke immediately winced at the pain all over his body, and it was somewhat difficult to open his eyes. Reaching up to touch the tender skin around his eyes, the elf had no doubt in his mind that he was grossly dinged up.

Sighing, Sasuke tried to sit up on the cot- which was more like a concrete slab with a sad, flimsy pillow and scratchy sheets. Leaning up against the wall as he sat, the elf let his eyes shut and began to feel the weight of guilt press on his shoulders. Everything had happened so fast, and it was high time he wrapped his mind around it.

First off, he had killed Kakashi. By his own hands, the elf had finally mustered up enough... of something to rid the evil that had plagued his and his mother's entire life. That much was something he didn't and couldn't regret.

Then what happened? He had confessed to the murder to the Council. As to what happened with his master, Sasuke didn't know. But he suddenly felt an intense anxiety, dreading what the Council could have ordered on Naruto. Was he okay?

A wave of guilt knocked him down, and Sasuke knew that if he were to ever see Naruto again, he would be the luckiest elf in the world. He hadn't even the time to say goodbye to him. The situation reminded him bitterly of the time his mother had been ripped away from him. Sasuke's mood soured, and he sat with his eyebrows furrowed, anger and guilt bubbling in his soul.

Closing his eyes, Sasuke recalled a visual memory of his master's beautiful face, those golden locks shining in the sunlight...

He remained up against the wall, drifting in and out of consciousness, not realizing how much time had passed since he initially woke up. When the sound of the door unlocking roused him from sleep, Sasuke turned around to see a stranger with gray hair and round eyeglasses coming in with a tray of food. The elf stood up from the bed, ignoring the pain that shot through his fragile, bruised body.

"Oh, what a shame that you had to go through all that," the man said as he pushed his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose, "I've food for you."

The man set the tray down at the foot of the bed, not coming any closer to Sasuke, who was huddled in the far corner, hands fisted at his sides.

"I won't hurt you. See, I'm stepping away right now."

And true to his word, the man took a few steps back from the bed, hands up and gloved palms exposed. Sasuke didn't move from his spot, still in the corner, looking at the stranger apprehensively.

"I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Kabuto."

"What do you want?" Sasuke immediately asked.

"What do _I_ want? Nothing. But someone else wants your freedom."

When Sasuke did not respond, Kabuto nodded and continued, "Well, it's understandable that you don't want to talk, so listen up. I was hired by your master to get you out of here."

That instantly got Sasuke's attention, though he was still very apprehensive that this strange man came out of nowhere. But considering that he'd just confessed to a murder of a _human_, the elf was sure the Council wasn't going to go easy on him.

He supposed he didn't have much to lose, so he asked the burning question in his mind.

"How?"

oooOOooo

Naruto had less of a difficult time being escorted to the hospital by Neji. The pale man had wordlessly guided him towards the local hospital just outside the heart of town. Despite their silence, Naruto was anxious to ask many questions- but none ever came out.

By the time Naruto had been checked in to the hospital, he was sick to the stomach with worry. Was Sasuke okay? If anyone had tried to lay a finger on him...

"Uzumaki, I will have to leave you. But you will be under heavy surveillance... do not do anything crazy."

With not another word aside from that warning, Neji exited the sterile, white room they had entered. The door closed after him, and Naruto, knowing that the door was likely locked, tried for the doorknob anyway. It was in that moment that he realized how surreal everything was.

"Shit!"

Naruto slammed his fist into the wall, denting the weak plaster. He could feel the concrete underneath the plaster, knowing then that the room was built to be inescapable. Turning around and leaning against the wall, the blond looked at the meager room furnishings. There was a bed, a pillow, and... not much else.

After settling down on the bed, Naruto looked out the barred window to the darkening sky. The purple-orange hue was just about the only color he was likely to see for the next 24 hours.

Night fell an hour into Naruto's surveillance. The light above him still shone brightly with a sterile, bluish tint. Naruto had simply remained sitting on the bed, attempting to make himself comfortable. But it was hard to be comfortable when Sasuke's future was unknown. Gritting his teeth, the blond cursed the Council. They had to know all along, that Naruto would react the way he would. They were prepared to have him locked up while they toyed amongst themselves how best to deal with Sasuke.

The thought of a death sentencing wrenched Naruto's gut uncomfortably. He tried to keep his sanity at bay and tried not to think too much about how the Council could possibly carry out an execution. The elders had some sick, medieval methods up their sleeves. They grew up in an age of war, now famished from the lack of violence and blood in their older years. Any chance they got to assert their bloody power, they took.

Naruto was so engrossed in his thoughts that when the door opened, he snapped his head up in surprise. When he saw a grey head of hair pop in, he immediately, against all logic, feared Kakashi was back, and an instant rush of adrenaline pumped into him. He stood from the bed and threw his arms before him.

"Relax, Uzumaki. No one is going to hurt you."

Upon hearing a voice unlike Kakashi's come out of the young male's mouth, Naruto relaxed. He sat back down onto the bed, heart still racing as he clenched his fists in his lap.

"Who are you?" Naruto immediately asked, eyeing the other man in the room, "I wasn't told there was going to be a _nurse _looking after me."

The other man, if he was insulted by Naruto's apparent lack of respect for him, did not show it. Instead, he set down the tray of food he was holding onto the floor and took a step back, granting some space between them.

"I am Kabuto, and I will be your supervising nurse for the duration of your stay. Right now, I will need to do a physical."

Naruto eyed the other man apprehensively, but he complied and allowed Kabuto to begin the physical. During the first fifteen minutes, Kabuto handled Naruto's limbs gently but firmly. Then his grip got harder and rougher, and eventually Naruto found himself turned on his stomach on the bed, arms twisted behind his back. He attempted to wrench his arms out of the nurse's grasp, but to no avail.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Kabuto leaned forward and put his lips up to Naruto's ear before hissing, "Listen very closely- we don't have much time, and I won't repeat myself. I can help you free your elf and have you meet up with him after your release. Say anything to the other nurses and I'll kill him myself. Got it?"

"Why should I believe you?" Naruto immediately spat back, though his heart began to flutter at the thought of freeing Sasuke.

"Either you accept or you don't."

The door to the room burst open, and Kabuto called out to them, "Oh, thank goodness you're all here! Could you grab the needle out of my breast pocket? He was threatening me while I was performing a physical and we need to calm him down."

Naruto growled when the needle pierced the skin on his neck, and it was not long before drowsiness kicked in and his eyes closed into darkness.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Also, my Tumblr will not be updated for a while (it takes a little while to update every post with new links), so if you're following me there, I apologize!

Until next time.

-_Char_


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Please forgive me for my lack of updates... I will explain myself at the end of this chapter.

In the meantime, give it up for Killua17, _roboguy45_, es amore45, Akira Nishikawa, _Haruka Uzumaki21_, _JollyCooperation_, _BadButt94_, _Omomoe_, Carrotz8, and _LouiseUchiha_ for their support (for those in _italics_, I owe you a great deal of many thanks). I seriously wouldn't be continuing without each and every one of you!

* * *

><p>Sasuke stared at the other man incredulously, not believing a word he just heard.<p>

"An injection that fakes death? What- what makes you think I'm going to trust you?"

"Well," Kabuto said as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, "I suppose I don't have any other way to prove my credibility to you. You'll just have to take my word for it."

Again, there was the silence. It sat heavily, stifling the room of all sound. The elf could only feel his own thumping heart while his mind remained blank. His palms sweaty with anticipation, Sasuke pressed them flat against his kimono.

Could he- no, _should_ he- take this man's word? His worry ate at his rational side; this man, for all Sasuke knew, could be harboring malcontent and was planning to kill him when his guard was down. But his heart called out for the possibility of seeing Naruto again. If he didn't do anything, wouldn't the Council merely put him to death, anyway? Just like a rabid dog.

"I… Wh-why are you helping me?" Sasuke asked, prolonging his having to make up his mind.

The impassive expression on Kabuto's face gave away little to Sasuke, and deep grey eyes seemed to be examining the core of his very soul. Sasuke could only guess that this man's intentions were, whether good or bad, strictly business.

"I've already told you- because your master desires your freedom, rather than you rotting in a cell. I'm just the intermediate. And to be completely honest, whatever opinions _you_ have matter none to me."

At this point, the other man had strolled up next to Sasuke and tightly gripped his arm with his left hand. Rummaging into his kimono with his right, Kabuto retrieved a syringe and, with a steady hand as Sasuke squirmed weakly, pressed the sharp needle point into soft flesh by the crook of his arm. With inhuman accuracy, the bespectacled human had successfully hit a vein and began pumping the strange clear liquid into his arm.

"Now, don't move too much and just lie down on the bed. It'll take over soon," Kabuto said as he guided Sasuke, "When you wake up, you'll be reunited with your precious master."

Just as Sasuke was about to lie down, he felt his body going heavy and his control over his body was weakening. With all of what was left of his strength, the elf gripped Kabuto's shirt firmly and tried to breathe properly.

"I don't want to die!" Sasuke shivered as Kabuto forcefully removed his hand, "Please, I just want to see my master once more…"

"Just lie down. You'll see him soon."

If Sasuke wanted to panic, he didn't have the strength to do so. As his body was pushed onto the bed, he stared up at the ceiling, ears ringing and vision blurring. He wasn't sure what was going on, but the last thought on his mind as his consciousness slipped from him was Naruto's smiling face.

He didn't want to die. Not without seeing his master's sweet face once more.

oooOOooo

Naruto began hearing things, rousing him from a deep sleep that made him extremely groggy. He could hear a conversation, though he could barely register what was going on.

"As I told you Tsunade-sama, he is just fine."

The older woman growled harshly, "Don't play dumb with me, Kabuto. What are you planning? What have you done with Sasuke?"

"Me? Why would you ever think to blame me for anything?"

Tsunade growled again, "The Elders seem to trust you, but I can smell the evil coming off of you. Come clean, and I won't rip you to pieces."

The conversation was only just filtering into the blond's brain as sounds. Whatever that male nurse had given him was really effective, and Naruto could barely muster the strength to reach out before him.

"Tsu...nade?"

"Naruto, thank the gods! Are you okay? Kabuto!" she barked, "Get him water right _now_."

As Naruto struggled to sit up, Tsunade grabbed ahold of his shoulders and guided him to lean against the wall. Slowly, his vision blurred back into clarity but his ears were still ringing. He could barely register Kabuto pushing a cool glass into his hand, and Tsunade guiding him to take a drink. He hadn't even realized how dry his throat had become, so he took an especially large gulp of water to compensate.

For a quiet minute or two, Naruto let himself readjust back into reality. But he was soon ready to jump at Kabuto when he realized what the two were conversing about earlier. Naruto lunged for the male, gripping the front of his shirt.

"Sasuke- where's Sasuke? I-I need to-"

Naruto began to dry heave, head dizzying and vision blurring once more. His hands laxed and the blond leaned back against the wall again, nearly falling over and needing the help of Tsunade's support.

"Take it slowly, Naruto," Kabuto responded plainly, "I will explain to you what has happened to your dear elf.

"He has been removed from his cell after he was declared dead-"

"What?! But you said- but what-"

"I'm… sorry, Naruto. I intended to give him an injection that faked death, but the dosage was too much for his small body."

Silence. It was just a few minutes of silence as the news hit Naruto hard. With each passing minute, the blond's chest constricted and his breathing became ragged. Naruto propped himself off the wall just enough for him to rest his forehead on his arm as he dry heaved. Tsunade attempted to comfort him with a firm hand rubbing his back.

"It can't be true. It can't be fucking TRUE!" Naruto yelled as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and lunged for Kabuto.

"You can't be serious. You've got to be lying to me. Tell me you're _LYING_!"

Despite his weak body, Naruto clung to the front of Kabuto's shirt and pushed him up against the wall. He pressed his face close to the nurse's and bared his teeth.

"Tell me the truth. Sasuke _isn't_ dead!"

Kabuto shifted his gaze away from Naruto, reaching up to adjust his glasses.

"Like I said, I'm sorry."

"You think that's going to HELP? Saying you're fucking _sorry_? Is that going to bring Sasuke back?"

Tsunade pulled Naruto off Kabuto, pulling him into a tight embrace against her chest. His crazed reaction was to be expected, but she couldn't have imagined that an elf, of all things, would cause Naruto such grief. She soothed him, rubbing his back and waiting for him to cry. When she felt his hands grasp her shirt desperately, Tsunade felt her heart break.

_He couldn't be dead. Sasuke couldn't be __**dead**__._Naruto fluttered his eyes shut, and a vivid image of Sasuke's sweet, expressive face appeared behind his eyelids. A small smile adorned the elf's face, only to fade out of his mind as he let out a strangled cry.

After that, there was no audible crying. Just quiet gasps for air and desperate hands reaching for comfort. And Tsunade gave just that, but she knew that Naruto was looking for something that no one could ever give him- Sasuke.

oooOOooo

After 48 hours of surveillance, it was deemed that Naruto was mentally sound enough to head home. Neji walked into the blond's room to release him, but he not sure what to expect. He had been warned twice by Tsunade not to mention Sasuke, for fear of triggering an extreme reaction. She wasn't clear whether he would go suicidal or homicidal.

So when he entered the room, Neji shuddered at what he saw. Naruto sat on his bed, legs crossed, eyes blank and cast downward. In comparison to how he saw the blond before, this was a drastic, haunting difference in demeanor. It looked very much like Naruto had lost the will to live.

"Naruto, the Council has decided that you are now fit for release. However, they have also decided that you will be assigned a guardian for as long as they deem necessary to ensure your safety. Sai is waiting just outside the room; he will escort you home and remain with you until tomorrow afternoon."

When the blond didn't budge, Neji became worried. But just 30 seconds later, Naruto slowly uncrossed his legs and got off the bed, his eyes still just as blank as before. He walked past Neji and left the room, not even introducing himself to Sai as he headed towards the building's exit.

"Please take care of him," Neji said to Sai before they parted.

The pale man with a sketching pad tucked underneath his arm wordlessly looked at Neji, as if acknowledging his request. He made his way after Naruto, not even seeming bothered by the fact that he was going to be babysitting an emotionally unstable man for some time.

"I hope you can handle him, Sai. It's going to be rough for the both of you," Neji muttered before heading towards the maintenance office to get Naruto's holding room cleared out.

oooOOooo

Naruto sat down right by the entrance of his home after letting his geta fall off his feet. He stared downward, that hauntingly blank expression still engraved on his face. Sai shut the door behind them, removing his own sandals quietly and setting them next to Naruto's. He took a seat right next to the blond and remained silent.

They sat like that for some time, until the sun set and the inside of the house darkened. Sai got up and turned the lights on. He also set his sketch pad down on the table and stood close to Naruto.

"You haven't bathed in a few days."

The blond continued to sit where he was, ignoring Sai's implication.

"I suppose I should be more explicit- you smell. Go take a bath."

Like a machine, Naruto got up and slowly padded his way to the bathroom. He stood by the tub and let his kimono fall off his body. Then he started the water, waiting in the nude while the tub filled up.

Sai sighed as he shut the bathroom door behind him and sat down at the vanity. He slung his arm over the back of the chair and watched as Naruto bent over to turn the water off before getting into the tub.

For five minutes, Naruto sat in that tub and did nothing more. Sai rolled his eyes and called from his seat.

"Do I need to order you to do everything? Use the soap. Sitting in the water isn't going to help you get any cleaner or less smelly."

Mechanically, Naruto reached for the soap and dunked it in the tub before sliding it over himself. Soon, the water in the tub became indicative of just how badly in need the blond was for a bath. Sai watched as Naruto ran the soap over himself, again and again.

"Stop using the soap and shampoo your hair."

And like before, Naruto grabbed the shampoo and squeezed some into his palms before rubbing the sweet smelling, viscous liquid into his hair. But just after two minutes he lowered his arms and… gave up.

Sai sighed again and got up to kneel behind Naruto to start lathering the shampoo into his hair. He used his nails and lathered thoroughly, hoping that the scalp massage would release some of the tension that the blond obviously had.

When he looked down, he noticed the huge scar starting from his shoulder and spanning diagonally down his chest. Sai stared at it for some time as he worked the shampoo, intrigued at the size of it. His eyes then wandered for a bit, drinking in the shaped body the other male had. Just as he attempted to take a peek at Naruto's nether regions, the blond dunked himself into the tub, splattering the shampoo lather and leaving a top layer of _concealing_ foam.

When Naruto didn't resurface after a few seconds, Sai reached into the water, not even taking heed that his shirt sleeves became drenched, and pulled him up.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sai asked incredulously.

Naruto's expression changed ever so slightly, flickering between his blank stare and grief. Sai pressed his forearm to his forehead and walked over to the sink to wash his hands. He grabbed the towel from the wall hook and stood by the tub.

"Get up."

The blond obeyed, standing up slowly. Sai then threw the towel over tanned shoulders. By the time Naruto was directed out of the tub, dried off, and dressed in an orange yukata, Sai was beat. The blond had nearly refused to do much of his own grooming, simply giving up the task after a few minutes. Now, with Naruto sitting unceremoniously on the floor in the middle of the bedroom, Sai was setting up his futon for sleep.

"All right, now get under the covers and rest. I'm sure you'll be much more comfortable being in your own bed now. Do you want anything else? A glass of water? Tea?"

Naruto had retreated under his sheets and lay on his side, that same blank expression still ever-present on his face. He didn't respond to Sai's offer and simply did _nothing_.

oooOOooo

Sai awoke with a start, not having realized he had slept where he was sitting in the bedroom. He looked at the futon a few feet away from him, eyes growing wide and heart skipping a beat when he saw that Naruto was nowhere in the room. Rushing out of the bedroom, Sai threw the doors open to the nearby rooms, throwing on the lights and seeing no occupants.

A clatter and a crash resounded from the kitchen, and Sai darted. When he entered the kitchen, he immediately lunged for the lower half of Naruto's body. The blond, completely taken aback by the attack, was launched backward and released the knife from his hand, causing it to skid across the floor and away from him.

"Leave me alone!" Naruto yelled as he turned over and crawled towards the knife.

"No, you're not going to kill yourself," Sai stated loudly and firmly.

"You can't tell me what to do!" the blond yelled right back as he continued to squirm out of Sai's grasp.

Luckily, Naruto was much too weak in his current state to worm his way towards the knife. Sai only let up long enough to pounce again on the other male, straddling him and pinning his arms on the ground.

"ENOUGH!"

The pale brunette had gotten close enough to yell right in Naruto's face. Almost immediately, Naruto stopped struggling and his body went completely limp. The fire that was in his eyes extinguished just as quickly, and he looked like a lost pup. Naruto turned his head to the side and Sai could see his lips quiver.

"Hey now," he began somewhat awkwardly, mind going blank on how to deal with crying people. He remembered reading the book his sensei gave him- now what was it that they said to do…?

Naruto's breathing started becoming irregular, his chest rising and falling erratically as he tried to even his breaths. Sai stared quietly, somewhat horrified and completely unsure of what to do.

"Stop crying."

The blond stopped just long enough to look at Sai out the corner of his eye and stammer, "Fuck you."

Sai sighed. He shut his eyes then let go of Naruto's arms and sat up. His legs were still sprawled over Naruto's body, but he needed a moment to regain his composure.

"Look, I'm not here to be your friend or your enemy. The Council assigned me to watch over you, but Tsunade _asked _me, as a personal favor, to make sure you didn't do anything stupid. Neji too. I can't let either of them down, and neither can you."

Naruto threw his arms over his chest and crossed them defensively in front of him. His crying had somewhat subsided, but occasionally his chest would heave with shuddering, post-crying breaths.

"What's the point? The only reason I had to live is gone. Do you know where I was before Sasuke came into my life? I was fucking lonely. There is no woman or man patient enough to stick with me like Sasuke has. It's not even about the sex or anything like that. I just… I wanted a companion. And he was so kind…"

The blond began to choke up as he spoke, words gushing out of him as if he was anxious to say it all day. His lips pursed in a lame effort to keep himself from bawling. Sai moved off Naruto and lay down next to him on the floor. They both stared at the ceiling with nothing in particular to look at.

"Killing yourself isn't going to solve anything. You have much more to live for. And if not for yourself, then consider living your life for Sasuke."

The last part was spoken so quietly, Naruto almost wondered if Sai was just a figment of his imagination. He continued staring up at the ceiling, feeling somewhat surreal that Sasuke was dead.

What really was the point of living? Naruto thought again about reaching for the knife. But when he turned his head to look at Sai, the brunette was looking out the corner of his eye. He was ready to disarm him again if necessary, and Naruto knew for a fact that he could not beat the other man in speed.

_Consider living your life for Sasuke._

Naruto nearly scoffed at the idea. _For_ Sasuke? What more could he do _for_ Sasuke, now that he was dead? The blond did not believe in the afterlife or heaven. If Sasuke was gone, then his body was somewhere and his soul evaporated into nothing. There was no equivalent exchange of energy. Just the loss of his dear elf.

And they just continued to lie there until morning, Naruto never once reaching for the knife again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Apologies for the gross lack of updates. I've been spending the past year trying to get my shit together and graduate university on time. It's been rough, but I'm finally back on my groove, I hope!

And I noticed lately that the Naru fandom has declined in activity, but I'm still pretty much in love with all the Naruto characters. That being said, it's really nice to be back after such a long (unannounced) hiatus~

Cheers,

_Char_


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Hello, hello~ I'd like to give an awesome amount of gratitude towards _Dragon 77_, _BadButt94, roboguy45._ You guys have shown me so much support over the years, and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you. Also many thanks to Guest 1 _Shane_, Guest 2, valune, Guest 3, Guest 5, and _Omomoe_ for your support as well!

Guest 4, I really appreciate the time you took to write such an extensive, constructive review. The best response I can give is this: For Sasuke, he knows nothing about being free since he was born into slavery (this was implied but not explicitly stated in previous chapters). And though it seems like his relationship with Naruto is not genuine, there's something particularly intimate with the way they interact with one another without it becoming full-blown sexual. That's what makes their relationship wholly different than when Sasuke was owned by Kakashi.

If you'll also remember in the first chapter, Naruto bought Sasuke because he was in immediate (as Naruto perceived it) danger of being "disposed of". Naruto, in this story and in the canon universe as well, has a sort of hero complex, albeit it is sometimes one-tracked (which explains why he bought Sasuke but not the other elves).

One last note: I don't believe it absolutely follows that Sasuke must hate _all_ humans after being owned by Kakashi. There will likely be some snippets in later chapters on his past with his mother that explains why this isn't the case (though mainly, it's just his personality and the way he was raised).

Phew, I think that about covers it. Always feel free to prod me if some detail about this story doesn't seem clear. Anyway, onwards with the story! Enjoy~

For the next week, Naruto was watched over by Sai. Despite the fact that the Council only assigned surveillance for the following 24 hours after the blond's release, Tsunade contracted with Sai to stick around just until the end of the week… just in case.

Instead of simply surveilling him, however, Sai became somewhat of a nursemaid. It was like he was feeding, bathing, and clothing an overgrown baby; Naruto refused to do anything himself unless prodded to act. Tsunade would stop in every day to check in on them, and her normally sharp expression would soften at the pathetic sight of the broken-hearted warrior.

"Has he shown any signs of improvement?" Tsunade asked Sai one day as they stared at Naruto's back, his feet dangling off the back porch.

Sai shook his head. "No, he has not. At this rate, I don't foresee him getting past the end of the year like this. Either he withers away or takes his own life, whichever comes first."

With a pained expression on her face, Tsunade sighed and turned around, heading for the front door. Sai followed right behind her.

"Tsunade…?"

She stopped and turned around at the _genkan_, the entryway where she had left her pair of _zori_. Her expression morphed back into a sharp, serious one.

"Sai, I cannot keep you here for longer. The Council wishes to relinquish you of your contractual obligation with me, since you must attend to your regular duties."

Somewhat taken aback, Sai's lips parted and eyes widened. His voice was laced with concern.

"What of Naruto?"

Golden eyes traced back to the blond's thinning figure, lingering for a moment too long before refocusing on the man in front of her.

"If the Council wishes for you to return to your duties, I have no choice but to have you do so. I will see if we can find a replacement for you, but I doubt anyone can cure his broken heart," Tsunade said wistfully before clearing her throat and refocusing, "In the morning, I expect you to come to town hall and resume your duties. There is a lot of paperwork waiting for you."

Tsunade cast her head downwards, feet shuffling into her _zori_ before she wrenched the door open and stepped out into the orange glow of the sunset.

"At least for tonight," Tsunade said quietly, "please try to rile some kind of reaction out of him. Do something- anything- to break him from that shell of a body. I… I don't know what I'll do if he remains this way for the rest of his life."

And without another word, the broad woman somberly made her way back onto the main road leading back into town. Sai finally shut the door when she was a good part of the way down the road.

"Sai?"

The brunette spun on his heel, surprised to see Naruto standing just a few feet away from him. His eyes were dulled, half-lidded, and seemingly void of that rambunctious energy that he once had. His skin was much paler as well. Aside from sitting outside for half an hour today, Naruto barely stepped outside for the past week.

"Naruto," Sai called back, a small smile playing at his lips as he approached him, "Tsunade came by, you know. To check up on you."

Humming contemplatively, Naruto seemed to pay no heed to Sai's words and shuffled into the kitchen lethargically. The grey kimono on him looked heavy, weighing on his oh-so-frail shoulders.

Sai simply watched the blond move into the bathroom, taking him a few moments to follow him in. He watched, frozen in his spot, as Naruto prepared his own bath. Just as the blond began to shimmy out of his kimono, he looked over his shoulder at Sai, revealing his naked (and delectable) skin.

"Do you mind?"

The flush that rushed to Sai's face came as quickly as he exited the room. And like a faithful watchdog, Sai remained by the door, listening for the sounds of water splashing.

oooOOooo

Sai did not know what to think of Naruto's sudden change in behavior out of his lethargic depression. He continued to observe the blond for the rest of the day- his last day surveilling Naruto before he would have to return to his monotonous duties.

After Naruto exited his steaming bath with merely a towel wrapped around his waist, he didn't even stop in his step as he called out to Sai, "Let's go out for dinner tonight."

The brunette nodded, making his way into the front of the house to wait while Naruto got ready. Within ten minutes, the blond emerged, donned in a light green yukata. It looked lovely against his paling - but still tanned - skin.

They left the house, neither saying a word as they followed the main path towards town. Naruto whistled to himself as he stared ahead of them, hands clasped behind his back. Sai watched him cautiously out the corner of his eye, apprehensive of his companion's behavior.

Stopping at a particularly busy ramen shop, Naruto pushed his way towards the counter and greeted, "Oi, Teuchi!"

"Ah, Naruto, it's been a while. Come, take a seat."

Naruto gestured behind him. "I brought Sai along as well. He's been taking care of me for the past week."

Sai nodded in polite acknowledgement, and Teuchi beamed.

"Well, any friend of Naruto's is a friend of Teuchi's! In that case, come 'round back!"

Leading the way, the blond made his way into the shop itself and turned briefly to make sure Sai was following. In the innermost part of the shop, it was mostly empty, save a cook who looked like he was taking a break. They all sat at a table for two that was pushed up against the wall, and Teuchi grabbed a chair to sit on the third available side of the table.

"So, Naruto, how have you been? I haven't seen you in a while. You're looking real thin these days."

The twitch right by Naruto's lip was barely noticeable, but Sai spotted it all the same. Naruto sighed, exhaling deeply through his nose as he propped his left elbow on the table and pressed his chin onto the heel of his hand. His eyes cast downward and a small smile appeared on his face.

"Sorry. I've been busy. I made a friend and we didn't get a chance to stop by."

Teuchi smirked, nudging the blond, "A _friend_, eh? Is this your _friend_?"

"No, it's nothing like that between us," Naruto clarified as Sai put his hands up in front of him, "But I was actually hoping that you could help me with my friend, Teuchi. He was reported to have died in custody, but I don't believe one word of it. I _know_ he's out there somewhere; I just don't know _where_, exactly."

The smile on Teuchi's face did not falter as he leaned in close, "Oh? I may have heard something. What's his name?"

oooOOooo

Sai followed after the blond whirlwind as he hurried home, eyes alight with a burning energy. A small smile pulled at Naruto's lips, only one thought keeping him going forward.

_Sasuke is alive. Sasuke is __**alive**_.

When they got back, Naruto immediately headed for his bedroom, rummaging through his belongings trying to determine how much stuff he should bring along with him.

"Naruto, slow down. What are you trying to do? Tsunade wants you to-"

"To hell with what Tsunade or the Council say! I've rested enough this week," Naruto said as he procured a number of odds and ends- small jars of unknown substances, a leather canteen, and far more than what was even necessary for any extended journey, "And now, I need to find Sasuke. Teuchi said he overheard someone talking about a large trade convoy heading out into Lightning Country."

The frown that adorned Sai's face expressed his disapproval in the plan, or lack thereof. "So then what? You're going to follow this convoy into Lightning Country, and then what will you do after? It's hardly a small area of land for you to traverse, and you don't even know if that's where-"

"Well, it's better that I have some purpose than sit here on my ass, isn't it? Tsunade said to get me out of my slump, so here's your chance! This is something I _need_ to do, Sai, whether you understand it or not."

Naruto continued to throw things down into the middle of the room, then as he bustled his way out of his bedroom and headed towards the bathroom, he was knocked down onto the ground. The blond landed chest-down, forearms thrown out in front of him to soften the fall. Sai had tackled Naruto from behind, that pale, lithe body barely holding his own down.

"What the fuck is your problem, Sai?"

"You need to calm yourself!" the brunette yelled, face actually flush with frustration, "Are you an idiot? You're going to chase after this elf- and then what? What if you don't find him? What will you do then? Kill yourself?"

The blond seemed to have lost his strength as Sai shook him back into reality, his entire body going limp.

"I may as well."

Sai scoffed, "You're crazy, you know that? Your elf could very well be dead right now, and all you're doing is-"

"Shut up."

"-chasing after a trail that's going cold. Even if he isn't dead yet, Naruto, when he gets sold off, there's no telling what will happen to him-"

"I said _shut __**up**_," Naruto growled, banging his fist into the floor, "Get off me."

Not wasting a moment, Sai jumped up and watched Naruto as he slowly got to his feet.

"I want you to leave, Sai."

The brunette crossed his arms over his chest, attempting to assess the blond for a few moments before throwing his arms up in defeat. Turning to leave, Sai threw a, "good luck," over his shoulder and, after stepping over the house's threshold, threw the door shut.

oooOOooo

Sasuke wrenched his arm away from the gross, spindly man who eyed him like a piece of candy.

"Ah, he's got a fire in him! What's your name, _elf_?"

Pursing his lips tight, Sasuke made no indication that he had even a remote interest in revealing his name. He would have crossed his arms in front of his chest, but the heavy cuffs around his wrists made it difficult to do so without looking pathetic.

"That one's name is Sasuke. He's from Fire Country."

The spindly man let a tongue flicker out from his mouth and drag across his bottom lip. Sasuke frowned, looking downward as he shifted the front of his body sideways.

"Oh? What's a pretty little thing like you doing in the Lightning Country?"

Sasuke's ears perked. He had been in Kakashi's possession in Lightning Country. Just the thought of his previous master made him sick to his stomach; he could recall the vivid image of Kakashi lying in his own blood, the words, "_I loved you… Sasuke…_" mustered with his dying breath.

When Sasuke failed to answer the man, he found himself being lifted off the ground by the cuffs, the clanking metal digging deep into his wrists as he cried out.

"Gorou, what have I told you about mishandling the merchandise?"

The elf fell unceremoniously onto the floor as Gorou let go of the chain link. He groaned as he felt an ache creeping up on his lower back and his wrists throb dully.

"My apologies, Kabuto. You know how particular I am about _obedience_…"

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows, staring at the floor- anywhere but at Gorou's face. He did not move from his spot and simply sat there with an otherwise blank expression on his face.

"Then may I suggest to you one of these fine specimens? Unfortunately, Sasuke has quite a temper. It's a price to pay for that pretty face of his, I suppose."

Dark eyes looked up as Gorou turned his attention to the others alongside the wall where Kabuto stood. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Kabuto, who was in the middle of explaining to Gorou the proper ways to train and control each of the elves.

"You see, they all have different personalities like humans. Some will obey just as easily as any dog, while others will require a more… hands-on approach."

The way they were talking about elves made Sasuke's stomach swirl with nausea. He looked into the scared, wide-eyed expressions of those elves, cursing to himself about his inability to help them.

'_If only I could save them like I did with the others,'_ he thought, _'I would save them from these pathetic excuses of humans.'_

For another fifteen minutes, Sasuke watched as Gorou finally chose Junko, a frail female elf with platinum blond hair and the darkest black eyes.

"Ah, a good choice. _Obedience_ is in her name, after all (_A/N: _it's a rough translation, but _jun_ can mean obedience or purity)."

Junko's eyes darted from Kabuto to Gorou to the other elves. Her cuffs were undone, but she made no move to escape. Gorou laughed heartily as Kabuto put aside the cuffs. The spindly man reached into the band of his hakama and withdrew a small sack of coins, which he handed over to Kabuto.

"Yes, she will be exactly what I need- quiet and obedient."

Gorou put a predatory hand on Junko's shoulder and led her out of the tent, pushing the cloth flap out of the way and letting in a sliver of sunlight. Sasuke's eyes burned for a fleeting moment before darkness overtook his sight. Kabuto grabbed Sasuke by the shoulders and dragged him back up to stand again.

"Now I see why Orochimaru had such a difficult time getting rid of you," Kabuto muttered.

Sasuke did not hesitate to spit in Kabuto's face, the majority of the barrage landing on his glasses. As expected, Sasuke found himself on the floor, face pressed into the hard cold floor. Kabuto ground the heel of his foot into the small of his back. Sasuke grit his teeth, not wanting to give the other the satisfaction of hurting him.

"I'm tempted to just drop you off at the nearest brothel and be done with you," he seethed as he continued to dig his heel.

The glare on Sasuke's faces simply dared him to do just that. When he had awoken from that induced coma and found himself in chains in the back of a convoy, Sasuke knew that this man, despite what lies he tried to feed him back in his cell, had no intention of reuniting him with Naruto.

To be honest, Sasuke simply never asked about it either, knowing fully well that Kabuto would try to weave more lies. If Sasuke let himself be vulnerable, Kabuto would take the first opportunity to break Sasuke, to make him as tame as the others who were just as unfortunate to be ripped away from those they loved.

"You should be thankful I saved you from execution back in Fire Country. And to think you had a part in putting my mentor out of business and leading him into his death. A mere elf! Imagine what other nonsense you must've gotten your beloved Naruto involved in."

With no good response to Kabuto's provocation, Sasuke shut his eyes and tried not to think too much about the pain and weight on his back.

oooOOooo

"That amount should suffice. He's a real beauty. Where did you happen upon something like him? I've never seen such sharp cheekbones or such smooth skin."

"I picked him up from Fire Country, but who knows where he came from before then. Can you believe his master had abandoned him?" _Liar._ "Poor thing has some serious trust issues, so don't expect him to be cooperative right from the start."

"Che, do you even know who you're talking to? That's how I get all my babies cheap; I take the ones no one wants. I just have a _way_ with them that you obviously don't. It's called womanly instinct."

A chuckle, somewhat insincere, came from Kabuto as he adjusted his glasses, "While I do not doubt your capabilities, Kagura, this one is somewhat of a... special case. In any case, if he ends up being too much to handle, I don't offer refunds."

Without another word, Kabuto turned to leave, but not before unlocking the cuffs from Sasuke's wrists. The brunette stared at the deep scratches on the man's face, the aftermath of yet another day of being poked and prodded at by prospective buyers. Sasuke had absolutely revelled in the feeling of his nails digging deeply into Kabuto's flesh.

"Goodbye, Sasuke. She may not look it, but piss her off, and you'll have much worse to deal with than what I've been doing."

Sasuke did not doubt that. The only reason why Kabuto hadn't so much as hurt him to warrant anything more than bruises was for the sake of keeping his "merchandise" intact. But after the last lashing he got from Sasuke, it was no surprise to the elf when he was dragged into this brothel run by this woman named Kagura.

"Now, Sasuke, was it? You can call me Madame. I'll be taking care of you from now on, so let's get to know each other, okay?"

The elf stared at Kagura apprehensively, not saying a word as he observed her. Donned in a red crop top and a long red skirt, she looked the part of a brothel madame. She also had a number of what looked like red tribal tattoos all along the left side of her body, from her cheeks to her calves. If she didn't look fierce, then Sasuke wouldn't know how to describe her.

"No worries, Sasuke. I was actually hoping that for your first night here, we could just talk. I'm sure Kabuto didn't bother to feed you anything better than some dry fruits and crackers, am I right?"

Still maintaining his silence, Sasuke allowed himself to be dragged into the brothel. He vaguely remembered the one Naruto visited, but this was nothing like that. Instead of it being dingy and full of incense smoke, the place was actually quite bright and well-kept. Sasuke was surprised to see a young elf manning the front desk.

"Madame, who is that?"

"This is Sasuke. He will be joining us from now on, so please help him out, okay, Reina?"

Reina, with her bright red, fiery hair and just-as-bright green eyes, stared at them inquisitively, eyes blinking a few times as she stared intently at Sasuke.

"Madame," Reina started as she had her eyes trained on the newcomer, "we do not have any extra beds. Where will he-"

"I will take care of that, Reina. Don't worry your pretty little head," Kagura said as she leaned onto the desk and let a few strands of Reina's red hair flow past her fingers, "Is anyone free to help me prepare a meal right now for our newcomer?"

Reluctantly shifting her gaze onto the book splayed in front of her, Reina flipped through a few pages before responding, "Well, most are booked with clients right now, but Haku should be free. I think he said he was going to be in the back garden tending to the azaleas."

"Thank you, Reina. Now Sasuke, come along."

Sasuke, suddenly very confused about who this Kagura woman was, simply followed after her without any argument. He followed her through the open archway that led down a corridor with a sliding door at the end leading outside, to what Sasuke presumed where the garden was. The corridor also split to the right, with a few more doors and a set of stairs at the end leading up.

They made their way into the backyard, and that was when Sasuke marveled in the sight before him. There was a small pond with fish nibbling at the top of the water, white rocks adorning the floor, and the most vibrant colors in a relatively large dirt plot. There, a small figure was indeed hunched over one of the azalea bushes, a round bottom accentuated by the light blue kimono worn.

"Haku, how many times have I told you not to wear your nice kimono when gardening? Zabuza would be upset with you."

The small figure jumped up and turned, his face absolutely flushed when he realized that Kagura was not alone. Sasuke stared and Haku stared right back, both eyeing one another in natural apprehension. Haku was particularly feminine in his looks and in the way he held himself. His dark eyes and brown, shoulder-length hair did not help his case, either.

"I'm sorry, Madame," he let out breathily, "I...I was so excited to see the azaleas blooming. Before I knew it, I was already tending to them."

Kagura let a smile play on her lips, "Well, if Zabuza comes by and sees what a mess you made of his gift, he'll probably be mad at me for letting you wear it like this. He could never get mad at you and you know it, Haku."

His face now dusted pink from the mild scolding, Haku stepped out of the dirt and onto the white rocks, all the while lifting the hem of his kimono off the ground. Dark eyes trained on Sasuke again, much like how Reina had done just moments ago.

"Madame?" Haku asked as his eyes lingered a bit long on Sasuke before looking up at Kagura, "Who is this?"

"Sasuke," he introduced himself before Kagura could even open her mouth, "My name is Sasuke."

Out of an old, old habit, Sasuke bowed at his equal, who seemed just as shocked as Kagura. When Sasuke stood straight, the corners of Haku's lips curled upward and he tried to hide his smirk behind his polished fingernails.

"Madame, you sure picked up a strange one this time," Haku said before turning back to Sasuke, "Nice to meet you, Sasuke. I'm Haku."

Haku bowed right back, that smirk still ever-present on his face. Sasuke was barely phased by their shock; he could be well-mannered when he felt like it.

"Anyway, now that introductions are out of the way," Kagura said as she pointed at Haku, "Would you be free to help us prepare a meal for Sasuke? I'm sure he would appreciate a proper meal after journeying from such a long way. Right, Sasuke?"

With a humble nod, Sasuke followed after Haku and Kagura, both of whom seemed glad in each other's presence. The way they interacted with one another was almost like… family. Sasuke stopped in his tracks, his heart wrenching as he thought of Naruto. Casting his eyes downward, he continued on after the happy pair, barely keeping up with them.

"Sasuke? Are you okay?"

Looking up, Sasuke could see the worry in both Haku's and Kagura's faces. Haku had stepped forward, hands out but not touching him in a pseudo-embrace. His heart wrenched again, and Sasuke fell to his knees as tears began to stream down his face.

"Sasuke!"

Haku hesitated, not wanting to dirty his kimono by joining the other elf. But Kagura made up for it as she stepped forward and crouched down beside him.

"Sasuke, look at me."

Kagura's stern, honeyed eyes paused Sasuke's crying as he became entranced by the warmth and power behind them. He sniffed, pressing the back of his hand to his nose to stop it from running. Sasuke looked back at Haku, who watched on with a pitying look in his eye. He then turned his attention back to Kagura, suddenly regaining his composure as best he could.

"Whatever you're crying about, it's no use here. Your previous master probably had his reasons for letting you go, so-"

"That's not true!" Sasuke yelled as he shut his eyes, tears threatening to fall again, "he didn't abandon me. He- I was _taken_ from him!"

Kagura and Haku glanced at one another, pity clear in their eyes. Sasuke sniffed and pressed the heel of his hand against his eyes, attempting to stop the flow of tears. He brushed himself off and stood up, staring down at Kagura. Sasuke had to stay strong. He would not let himself become vulnerable in front of these people.

With a shaky breath, Sasuke said, "You are not obligated to believe me, but I was taken from my master. He would never abandon me. _**Never**_."

oooOOooo

Sasuke looked around at the room, eyes drinking in the beautiful fabrics draped all around. He couldn't tell if they were clothes, window curtains, bed curtains, or what have you. With some hesitation as Kagura sat down on the large bed in the middle, Sasuke followed suit. He immediately sank into the plushness of the covers, revelling in the smoothness against his skin.

"Yes, we decided beds were more suitable for this establishment," Kagura said more so as an aloud to herself, "Though I do miss the tatami flooring I had when I was young."

Silently, the elf traced a complex embroidery of an azalea on the duvet. He could hardly believe that he was here, in this type of brothel of all places.

Since dinner, Sasuke had remained very quiet and did not reveal much when Haku asked him questions about his previous life. Throughout the entirety of their meal, he wished for nothing more than to be excused; but he had no place to retreat to, and so he waited for his companions to finish as patiently as he could. After their meal, Kagura asked Haku to clean up while they went to have a chat in one of the open rooms.

"So Sasuke," Kagura began resolutely, getting Sasuke's attention, "I wanted to speak with you about how this place is run, and what I expect of you.

"I am a reasonable woman, Sasuke. I know that _you know_ what a brothel is, but for most of our newcomers, I do not force you to do anything for the first week here. Once you're settled in though, I expect you to start earning your bed.

"You may not agree with how I run things around here, but I am a businesswoman, not a charity. I'm sure you know what it's like being _out there_, fearing for your life. At least while you're here, you have a warm bed, food, and shelter."

Sasuke _didn't know_ what it was like being on his own, and the thought of being out in the middle of nowhere frightened him. Mustering up some courage, he looked up from the bed right into Kagura's eyes, restating just so he was clear on the conditions, "I have a week before you want me to start using my body to stay here."

Kagura shrugged, "Like I said, you won't agree with everything I do, but for most of your kind, this opportunity would be a godsend to them. Not everyone is as lucky as you to be picked up like this."

Silence fell, and Kagura seemed perfectly fine with it. Sasuke stared at his clasped hands, which he was trying to keep from shaking just the slightest.

_One week. You have one week, Naruto. Come save me!_

The elf let out a shaky breath, eyes cast downward. Kagura seemed satisfied with their conversation and made her way to the door.

"Why?"

Kagura stopped in her step, turning around to arch an eyebrow at the small body sitting on the bed.

"What?"

Sasuke gulped, "Why are you doing this?"

He wasn't even sure what kind of answer he was trying to get out of the woman, but Sasuke's ambivalence left him confused and full of questions that he was still working out himself. Golden eyes looked down at the floor for a moment before focusing right on Sasuke's.

"Because the world is a cruel, dark place."

The room suddenly felt much colder and full of a discomforting stillness that made Sasuke want to scream.

**A/N:** All righty, my darlings! I hope this chapter didn't turn you away too much. I wasn't sure that I'd be able to write as much of this story as I have, but for you guys, I'll write to the moon and back~

Until next time,

_Char_


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** First off, I want to say I'm really sorry for the lack of updates the past 8 months! Wouldn't you know, soon after I posted chapter 15, I got a full-time, big person job. Now, I'm working a regular 9-to-5 and paying back the mountain of student loans I took out from the government. I don't want to use this as an excuse, but it was a pretty drastic change of pace. I actually have free time now! And I was (perhaps selfishly) enjoying the free time that I hadn't had since high school.

Anyway, to all you new readers: welcome! And to those returning: welcome back! I hope this chapter will do the story justice. I know I said way back in chapter 11 that there would be only a few more chapters, but obviously, things have changed. We're going on chapter 16, hopefully stopping around chapter 20. This story got derailed from my original plot, so it's going to take a bit for me to formulate how the rest of the story's going to go.

I want to give a **thank you** to **_roboguy45_**, EpicKiya, Hope, **_BadButt94_**, **_Dragon77_**, dreamlea, sekikaoru, _Omomoe_, ada2012, Ivy Bluebell, Chiko92, _JollyCooperation_, _EtheralEscencexAllHotNaruGuys_, _Sasuke-is-Badass_, stephanie, Sasaki, and Hino1Hyuga, for taking the time to review since my long absence. Of course, those of you in _italics_ have given me multiple reviews in the past (those in _**bold&italics**_ have been with me since the early chapters), which is always very much appreciated~

To Sasaki: If you're that willing to translate, then fine by me. The only thing I ask is that you clearly state that this is my (CharcoalHeart's) work and that it can be found on FanFiction. If you could also link me where you'll host it, that would be appreciated as well.

Okay, I'm done with the sappy stuff for now. Hopefully this chapter will be to your liking... Enjoy!

* * *

><p>"I won't."<p>

Naruto banged his fist, standing up from the table and pacing, his heavy footfalls _thump thump thump_-ing on the tatami floor. He clenched his fingers into a fist, fingernails digging into his palms.

"Why won't you help me?"

Sakura remained at the table, face completely neutral save for the tensing of her lips. She lifted her bright green eyes to the window, staring blankly.

"I'm not asking for much, Sakura. All I want is for you to hold onto my key—"

It was the other's turn to slam her fist onto the table, eyes shutting and eyebrows knitting tightly. Sakura bowed her head, clenching her teeth.

"You know you're asking for much more than that. You're asking me for my _blessing_ so you can chase your elf to the ends of the world!"

"I'm asking nothing of the sort, Sakura."

"That's bullshit! Don't kid me, Naruto!" Sakura shouted as she got up, "You're asking me to accept your _obsession_ with this elf and wait for you until you return. Who do you take me for, a fool? I've my own life to live. I can't live my life to the fullest waiting here like some sad puppy, knowing full-well that you may never come back."

Naruto set his lips in a small frown. Sakura's logic was terribly flawed, but Naruto knew she was trying to get at; she was trying to guilt trip him into staying, into forgetting about Sasuke. _There would be others._

Sighing, the blond walked over to Sakura and held her hands in his.

"Look, I've made up my mind on this. I want to look for Sasuke, regardless of how foolhardy you think I'm being. And if it means I look for him until I die, then so be it. There's nothing in my life I've been more sure of than having Sasuke by my side."

Sakura was starting to cry, head turned away as she asked quietly, "Do you love him then? If you're going to chase him forever, then you have to be sure it'll be worth it when you find him."

"If the pain I felt when I thought he was dead was any indication, then yes, I love him. I've never felt quite this strongly about anyone, and I won't forgive myself if I were to stay here while he's suffering."

With a somewhat strained sigh, Sakura wrapped her arms around Naruto. They both held one another, both reveling in the platonic warmth shared between them.

"Okay, you win," she said as she pulled back a bit to look him in the eye, "I'll look after the house. But if anything happens, whatever it may be, send a letter— or something!"

As Sakura tightened her hold on Naruto, he followed suit.

"Of course."

oooOOooo

_First night: six days remaining_

Sasuke sat at the edge of the pond and watched as the koi attempted to nibble at his toes. As expected, he could not sleep during his first night at the brothel. He shared a room with three others, one of them being Haku. Despite the patron rooms having beds, the elves were subjected to sleeping atop thick blankets, which were just a bit thinner than futons but much less comfortable.

His attention was mostly unfocused, his mind wandering this way and that. But as he heard the murmur of voices coming from the open door leading indoors, Sasuke's ears perked. The voices became louder, finally becoming audible as he heard two elves conversing— namely about him.

"I don't know why Madame took in that elf today. She's a businesswoman, isn't she? Clearly she doesn't need to be told that we've barely enough room for everyone already."

"But Reina, haven't you seen him? Madame probably knows he's bound to fetch a pretty coin, probably more so than any two of us combined!"

Reina scoffed, "I don't trust him. Just look at what he wore coming in! He's nothing like us. He's probably never seen a second of hardship in his life."

"Ah— shh, Reina! He's in the garden!"

"So what? He's not going to do anything."

"But— Reina!"

The two pitter-pattered away, their voices growing faint as they moved out of earshot. Sasuke sighed and stared up at the glittering night sky, feeling awfully small as he sat. While he couldn't really care much less about Reina's obvious dislike for him, Sasuke _was_ starting to feel lonely.

"Naruto," he called out quietly, heart aching.

His eyes began welling up, and Sasuke could only press the sleeve of his kimono to his eyes to stem the flow. But try as he might, the tears fell.

The past fortnight had been hellish. Sasuke crossed his arms in front of his chest to hold himself, to keep his own body from trembling.

He remembered how eerily Kakashi had professed his deranged love for him as he drove that sharp, cold metal into flesh.

He remembered the way the Council completely disregarded his presence, speaking about him as if he were nothing more than trash.

He remembered Kabuto's calm, unnerving expression as he fell out of consciousness in his cell.

All of these horribly, horribly vivid memories haunted Sasuke whenever he closed his eyes. If he could sleep instead of feeling the heavy weight in his heart, Sasuke would sleep forever.

oooOOooo

Naruto limped down the road, feet blistered and shoulders sore. It had been three days since he left Konoha, and for those three days he did nearly nothing else but walk. But the blond, being as stubborn and persistent as he was, pressed ahead. The thought of Sasuke, that sweet, beautiful face of his, remained in the forefront of Naruto's mind.

Even with his endurance, however, Naruto's energy was beginning to waver. He hadn't had a proper meal, nor had he bathed, or slept for more than a few hours each night. On the first few days, Naruto opted to skip towns for shelter with his sense of urgency pushing him forward. But now he was exhausted, barely able to keep himself upright.

As Naruto made his way down the dusty road, a cluster of homes in the reddening horizon caught his eye. Step by step, the cluster of homes gave way to a larger cluster of buildings; he had finally found a town to take refuge in for the night.

Though Naruto's shoulders still weighed heavily with guilt as he thought of his beloved elf, the blond could not help himself as he stumbled his way towards the center of town. Most citizens looked at him with curiosity glinting in their eyes, but none were bold enough to approach Naruto as he disappeared into the inn.

Entering the inn, Naruto blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the darker environment. He looked around for a moment, moving to sit down at one of the open tables towards the left side. He removed his pack from his shoulder but left his sword on him.

Not a few moments later, a young woman came up to the table with her bright, wide eyes beaming at him.

"Would you like me to bring you anything? Something to drink or eat?"

"_Sake_ and _beef donburi_," Naruto said, "And a room for the night as well."

After his order was placed and the girl left, Naruto kicked his _geta_ off, sighing in relief. He looked around the place, noticing a few stares from some of the other patrons. As he spotted each of them, they quickly averted their eyes. Naruto sighed.

"They're staring because of your sword."

Snapping out of his daze, Naruto turned to his tablemate, his heart jumping out of his chest. The man now suddenly sitting across from him struck an uncanny resemblance to Sasuke, except not quite so. His hair was long and kept back in a low-sitting ponytail, and the distinct wrinkles on his face made him look more mature than he probably was. Naruto's eyes glanced over to the other's ears, noticing they were rounded—not an elf.

Naruto had stared for some time, not realizing so until the young woman came back with a flask and a small cup. The blond asked for another cup, and the young woman looked over at the other male before nodding. The other quietly cleared his throat when they were left alone again.

"I'm sorry," Naruto said as he slid a filled cup of _sake_ across from him for the other, "You just look like someone I know. But, um, I guess there aren't many swordsmen walking around this place?"

The other tucked his hair behind his ear and took the cup graciously before gulping down its contents.

"No, not normally. We're a demilitarized zone."

Naruto thanked the woman for the second cup and moved to refill the other's cup and then filled his for himself.

"Are weapons illegal?"

"No, but the people who live here aren't keen on violence."

His companion gulped down the second cup of _sake_ and leaned forward, arms resting on the table.

"I wouldn't worry too much, as long as you don't plan on staying long."

"I'm only staying the night."

They sat in silence as a steaming bowl of rice, beef, and vegetables was placed on the table. Naruto took an appreciative sniff and started to dig in after he muttered his thanks.

oooOOooo

The other male insisted on accompanying him around town as Naruto restocked on supplies. He noticed the others didn't stare quite as harshly, which Naruto supposed was an upside to his unusual companion.

"I never got your name," Naruto said as it suddenly dawned on him, "I'm Naruto."

"Itachi."

Though their introductions were late, neither seemed to pay any mind. They continued through town, both in a comfortable silence as they wandered through the darkened streets.

Just as Naruto turned to Itachi announce his departure, his foot caught onto something and he tumbled onto the ground.

Arms flew forward to brace for the fall, and Naruto landed hard, scraping his palms onto the floor as he let out a cry of pain. Itachi ran forward, offering a hand to pull the blond up.

"Are you all right?" Itachi asked once Naruto got on his feet.

The blond nodded and looked down at what he had tripped over, only to see a frail boy huddled on the floor. Naruto approached him, only to have the frail body throw his arms up in defense and scream.

"Please don't hurt me! I'm sorry I got in your way!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait, I'm not going to hurt you! Hey, it's okay," Naruto said as the screaming stopped, "I'm sorry for tripping over you. Are you hurt?"

For a moment, the boy was silent, his eyes staring up at the blond wide-eyed.

"No."

"Oh, good. That's a relief," Naruto sighed, "What were you doing on the floor, anyway? You could've gotten seriously hurt."

Silence again, before the young male replied, "Nowhere else to go."

The boy turned his head to the side, his forearms pressing into his knees as he huddled up against the wall. Naruto noticed a pointed ear poke out of the other's head of hair.

"Oh," was all Naruto could say. With a flushed face, the boy wholly ashamed that Naruto found out what he was, eyes cast downward. That look of dejection was familiar; he had seen it in Sasuke's eyes, and in the elves' eyes that he had saved. Something in Naruto's heart strained.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Kichiro."

"Okay Kichiro, wait here," Naruto said as he stood, "I'll be right back."

Not even waiting for Itachi to follow him, Naruto made his way into the sweets shop and came out with a bag. He handed it over to Kichiro, who took it apprehensively.

"It's not much, but… here is a little something. As an apology for tripping over you."

Kichiro looked into the bag and pulled out one of the warmed buns. He looked up at Naruto, eyes glimmering.

"Thank you."

Naruto shook his head.

"It's the least I can do. I just wish I could do more for you."

Naruto gave a somewhat strained smile, feeling somewhat guilty that all he could do at the present moment for Kichiro was not much at all. Then he was off again, with Itachi following behind him.

When they were out of earshot of the elf, Itachi rounded on Naruto, "Why did you do that?"

"What?"

"Why did you help him back there?"

His tone wasn't accusatory, but genuinely curious. Itachi stared at him, waiting expectantly for an answer. Naruto crinkled his eyebrows, unsure of what was making him so upset.

Unabashedly, Naruto replied, "Like I said before— it's the least I could do."

Itachi seemed dissatisfied with his answer. By this point, they had stopped in their tracks, bathed in moonlight. The other grabbed his arms roughly, looking him in the eye without blinking.

"He was an elf! You helped him. Elves are second-class citizens!"

Naruto frowned. The man before him was in hysterics. He didn't sound particularly upset about the fact that Naruto had helped the elf, but...

"What did you expect me to do? Hit him?"

"Well, I didn't expect you to be nice! Most people would've ignored him, at best!"

He had a point, but Naruto wasn't that type of person; at least, he _used_ to be until Sasuke came into his life. His understanding of the world's cruelty opened his heart, and the least he could honestly do was treat elves as he would any human.

"I believe that elves deserve the same kind of respect as any human. They shouldn't be used as they are now; it's just not right," Naruto said as he shook his head, "But if you don't think that's the case, we should go our separate ways."

There was an urgency in Itachi's eyes as they stared at one another, neither making a move or noise.

"Naruto," Itachi called him, "you _must_ come with me."

The confusion on Naruto's face must have been apparent; Itachi released his arms and clasped his hands over one of Naruto's.

"Please, there are some people you need to meet. We have _much_ to discuss."

oooOOooo

_Second day: five days remaining_

Sasuke did not like being poked and prodded at as he was currently in one of the patron rooms. The doctor stood before him, checking off a few things on his papers before continuing the examination.

"Undress."

He hesitated and looked over at Kagura, who was overseeing the house call. She gave him a firm nod, seemingly pleased that he had, in some way, asked for permission.

The kimono came off and was set aside on the bed. Other than underpants, the elf wore nothing else. He was somewhat embarrassed to display himself as he was, but the doctor seemed to pay no mind as he leaned forward to inspect him all over.

Aside from a few, "hmm", and "a-huh", the doctor said nothing. He took Sasuke's arms and turned them this way and that, inspecting closer for any abnormalities.

"Your underwear."

Blushing, Sasuke looked over at Kagura who gave him the approval and stood to pull them down. He remained standing, feeling highly self-conscious as the doctor began to inspect his nether regions.

"You've had sex before, yes?"

Sasuke nodded as the doctor used his foot to nudge his legs apart as he stood. The doctor continued his inspection, reaching for the elf's junk and feeling around.

"Ah!" Sasuke cried out in surprise.

"Perhaps not enough sex to be used to someone handling your penis and balls," the doctor tsked, "You may as well be considered a virgin in this place! Kagura, do you know what his history is?"

Kagura, with her arms crossed over her chest, replied, "No idea. Kabuto didn't seem keen on telling me, either. We only have Sasuke's word to go off of."

The doctor hummed then took Sasuke by the shoulders and turned him to face the bed.

"Kneel on the bed— hands and knees— just like that. Let's see…"

Sasuke yelped again when he felt hands spreading his cheeks apart. He felt humiliated to be in such a position. It seemed as if he was nothing more than cattle with the procedural inspection.

But the doctor did nothing much more than looking. He poked a little here and there, then told Sasuke he was done.

"He's mainly healthy, perhaps a little underweight, but I do not see any disease."

"That is good to hear," Kagura said as she got up from her seat, "Sasuke, you're dismissed. Please call Haku in next."

It took very little time for Sasuke to pull his underwear and kimono back on. When he stepped out, he nudged a napping Haku awake.

"Hey, it's your turn."

Haku rubbed his eye tiredly and got up from the floor graciously. Stifling a yawn behind his manicured fingers, he straightened himself up and knocked on the door before entering.

Sasuke hadn't been told to do anything else, so he decided to head to the garden. Just as he rounded the corner, Sasuke bumped his shoulder hard and fell backwards onto the floor. When he looked up, Reina looked down at him, a hand on her hip as she leaned to one side.

"Watch where you're going."

"Sorry," he replied quickly, not wanting to cause a problem.

"You'd better be," Reina scoffed as she stepped around him.

He waited for Reina to walk past him before he pushed himself off the floor and continued to the garden, which was empty when he arrived. It was a peaceful place to be, and Sasuke made himself comfortable by the pond as he had the night before.

oooOOooo

"Oi, Itachi, who's this guy?"

"A potential ally," Itachi said as they entered the discrete abode.

In the main room, a few faces greeted them. The one who had crudely called out was a long-haired blond male whose left eye was covered with a black cloth patch. A few others were mulling around, mainly wiping down their weapons.

"Itachi, can I have a word with you?"

A quiet, redheaded man stepped away from the wall he was leaning up against and made his way towards the pair.

"Can it wait, Sasori?" Itachi asked, clearly irritated.

Glancing over at Naruto for a moment and then back to Itachi, Sasori shook his head, "I'm afraid not."

"I'm sorry," Itachi said to Naruto as he walked off with Sasori, "I'll be right back."

As the two walked into the next room, Naruto stood in the middle of the room, feeling rather vulnerable as eyes flickered over to him. He wasn't sure what he had stepped into, but by the looks that others were giving him, Naruto could hardly say he was confident that he was among friends.

"Where'd you get those marks on your face?"

Instinctually, Naruto reached up to run the pads of his fingers over the raised scars. He looked at the others in the room and realized that all eyes were now on him.

"I was attacked by bandits while travelling."

"Travelling where?"

"Home. I just completed a mission and was on my way back to report in."

The silence that resounded in the room did not sit well with Naruto. All eyes were still fixated on him, and it wasn't until Sasori and Itachi returned to the room that any of the others shifted their gaze over to them. Itachi nodded, and they all began to approach Naruto, some holding on to their weapons.

"Wait, what's going on?" Naruto asked as he threw his hands up.

Someone took a hold of his arms from behind, wrenching his forearms painfully against the small of his back. Naruto struggled to pull himself free, but then Itachi revealed a dagger from his sleeve and held its blade against his neck. Suffice it to say, the blond immediately ceased to struggle.

"Okay, so maybe we didn't get off on the right foot here," Naruto said, stalling as much as he could as Itachi undid his _obi_ and removed his sword.

Itachi let the hilted sword fall to the floor before he began to pat Naruto down. The knapsack was cut off him, and the pouch of gold coins was thrown over to one of the men sitting at the table. Naruto was just shy of being in a state of panic, but he tried to force himself to remain as calm as he could.

"Great," Naruto sighed, "I'm not trying to look for any trouble, so when you're done stealing from me, can I go? I'm in a bit of a rush—"

"Shut up," Itachi said as he pulled at the front of Naruto's kimono.

"Here I thought we were friends—"

"We are _NOT _friends."

"Whoa, okay. We're not friends. I get it. But you called me a 'potential ally'. Doesn't _that _warrant anything? And didn't you have something to talk about with me? I mean, I'm gullible, but not _this _gullible. With the way your eyes shone after I talked to Kichiro, I thought we had some common ground— oomph!"

Naruto's legs collapsed beneath him as Itachi drove his fist into his gut. With the wind rushing right out of his lungs, Naruto started coughing, struggling to regain his breath.

"Tie him up, put him in the back corner. Make sure at least one of you is watching him. I want twenty-four hour surveillance."

The man behind him hauled him up and held him in place as the crude blond from before bound his wrists and ankles with some gnarly knots. Naruto was dragged by the shoulders over to the far corner and thrown to the ground. When he looked up, Itachi was looking down at him, expression absolutely seething.

"Look, if I did something wrong, or rubbed anyone the wrong way, I'm sorry."

The man who had, just a little while ago, looked at him with a sense of respect was now looking down at him with hatred etched in his face.

"An apology is nowhere near enough for your sins."

Itachi headed for the door and stopped with his hand on the doorknob.

"If he starts making too much noise, cut off his tongue."

With those last words, he exited to the pitch-black alley outside. Itachi slammed the door behind him, leaving a strange silence in the room.

Naruto frowned. He certainly found himself in quite an unexpected situation.

oooOOooo

_Third day: four days remaining_

For the majority of the day, Kagura had Sasuke on cleaning duty with Haku; they were responsible for replacing dirtied sheets and washing them. The elf had kept track of how many sheets they had to wash, and he was up to twenty when they stopped for dinner.

For a brothel, it was well-run, and it was very clear that Kagura ran a tight ship. There would be a handful of elves available for patrons to call on, and the others would be responsible for other duties such as replacing sheets and cooking.

But Haku had explained one caveat: "Even if you're not on-call for patrons that day, if someone specifically requests you, you have to tend to them. They pay a premium for you that day, so Madame will usually relieve you of your duties the rest of the day, which is why Reina is always on standby to fill in on cleanup duty."

"Sasuke!"

The elf looked up from his spot by the pond, Haku looking down at him. Sasuke lately found himself in a bit of a daze, letting his mind wander just so he wouldn't have to think about reality.

But Haku had brought him right back to the harsh world with his calling out. They had just eaten dinner, and most of the others retired to their rooms.

Although he was tired, Sasuke still couldn't bring himself to lay down. While he was okay in the morning, when the night hit and the world slowed down to rest, his heart ached for Naruto.

"Hi," was all he could muster.

Haku hummed, his arms behind his back as he rocked on his feet. He took a seat next to Sasuke, reaching forward to touch the surface of the pond with his fingertips. The fish surfaced to nibble, clearly still hungry. He withdrew his fingers, causing most of the fish to swim away, some even whipping their tails and causing small splashes.

"You miss your master, don't you?"

Sasuke stared hard at the few fish left at the surface of the water, drawing his legs up to his chest and gripping his legs tight. He did not need to say a word for the other to understand.

"He didn't sell me off," Sasuke said wanting to reiterate that point, "I was taken from him. He'll find me."

Another hum, as if Haku was preoccupied thinking about something else.

"I was taken too."

Sasuke looked over at the other, noticing that Haku's eyes had glazed over, staring into the pond as if staring at something in the distance.

"I lived a many miles north from here, with my family. We were free, with no master to claim over us. But," Haku stalled as his eyes got glassy, "three years ago, when I was foraging berries for that night's festivities—it was my mother's birthday—by the time I returned, I...my family was nowhere to be found.

"I waited for them there for a week until some men came around and took me. I don't even know if they were the same men who took my family. I barely even fought them and they sold me to Madame soon after. I should have just run instead of naively waiting for my family to return. Stupid of me, right?"

Shaking his head, Sasuke let out a small, "no", before looking back at the pond.

They sat in silence together for a little while, neither saying a word. Night in this area was just a little different from home; Sasuke wanted to hear the familiar sounds of cicadas, crickets, and bullfrogs, all singing together. Here, he could only hear the crickets chirping their lonely call.

oooOOooo

Naruto woke to a very sudden splash of cold water. He could scarcely breathe for a few moments as he gasped, barely managing to take in air.

He didn't know when he fell asleep, tied up as he was in the corner. The others left him alone mostly, though a few times he caught Sasori staring at him with those passively blank eyes.

"Wake up."

Blinking the water out of his eyes, Naruto shrugged his shoulder to his face to wipe off what he could. When he looked up, Itachi was staring down at him. He held his breath for just a moment, waiting for the other to say something.

"_Who_ are you?"

"I—"

"I know you're Naruto, but _who_ are you? Where are you from? What is your trade?"

The blond gave a huff, "I'd be glad to share all that with you if you'd untie me."

With not even a second to waste, Itachi motioned one of the men to cut Naruto loose. When he was free, Naruto flexed his fingers and arms, feeling rather sore from having been tied up for who knows how long. He stood up, wiping somewhat uselessly at his wet kimono.

"If you try anything, these men will not hesitate to kill you."

Naruto put his hands up, the idea of running completely defeated. He pressed his back against the wall and stood with his arms at his sides. His clothes clung to him uncomfortably.

"I am a semi-retired warrior from the town of Konoha, offering my services as a hired sword for both private and government affairs."

Itachi eyed him warily, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest. The blond wasn't sure what the other was thinking—did he believe him? Or was he ready to strike him down? Naruto could only brace himself as a fist collided with his left cheek, knocking him back against the wall and forcing the air out of his lungs.

Naruto looked back into Itachi's eyes and kept his ground. They stared at one another for some time, those seemingly familiar dark eyes boring into his. Itachi stepped closer, grabbing at the right flap of Naruto's kimono and pulling it down, revealing the jagged scar starting at his shoulder.

"How did you get this?"

"The same way I got these marks on my face; I was returning from a government mission and encountered some bandits."

Not soon after he said that, Naruto found himself turned around and pushed against the wall, Itachi holding his arms against the small of his back.

"If you're telling the truth, then confirm this: do you, or do you not, have ownership of a young male elf, with dark hair and eyes, beauty unmatched by any others you've ever seen?"

Naruto's heart skipped a beat and his breath stopped. He knew it was too much of a coincidence that Itachi looked so similar to Sasuke.

When he didn't respond to Itachi's query, Naruto cried out in pain as Itachi bent his arm in a way it wasn't meant to bend.

"Wait! Wait," Naruto groaned, "I did, but not anymore. His name is Sasuke. I've been looking for him for the past few days after he was taken by a man named Kabuto—"

Itachi let go of Naruto, somewhat gently ,and stepped away. The blond turned himself around and nursed his aching arms, kneading them softly to ease the pain.

"Itachi. I know it doesn't look good that I 'owned' Sasuke, but he's become someone important to me. Whether you want to believe me or not is fine, but I have never, ever, mistreated him. I swear on my parents' graves that I am telling the truth."

The change of expression in Itachi's face morphed into something completely unexpected: relief. His sharp features had softened, and he had become completely docile by the way he stood.

"Sasuke's alive."

Naruto nodded as he replied, "That's what I'd like to believe. There was a convoy that came by probably in the past week or so. Did any of you see it?"

There was a bit of a murmur in the room. By the sound of it, none of them seemed to have any intel.

"Okay, it's possible they circumnavigated this town, but I am almost positive they are headed to Lightning Country."

"Where did you receive this information?" Sasori asked, "How do we know you're not lying to us?"

"It's okay, Sasori. I believe him," Itachi said as he snapped out of his daze.

"But, Itachi—"

"Enough! I said I believe him. Is there anything else to discuss?"

Sasori's expression flashed to anger for just a terrifying moment, "You're clearly not thinking straight on the matter, Itachi. This is a conflict of interest. We don't even know whether we can trust this man, and yet you'll take his word at the first mention of your brother. Your judgment is clouded! Don't be so foolish."

His brother! Naruto tried to catch a glimpse of Itachi's ears again, but his long hair kept them out of sight. If Itachi was human, then how were they related? Sasuke mentioned his parents were both elves. Perhaps they were foster brothers?

The uncomfortable silence that followed thereafter was broken only by Naruto's (perhaps foolhardy) attempt at maintaining diplomacy, which was strange, since he was the foreign third party.

"Itachi, I understand Sasori's precaution. Your group seems to have some kind of prior knowledge on me, but nothing that would lead you to believe I'm to be trusted. But Sasori," he said, turning to the redhead, "I swear that everything I've said is true. What can I do to help you gain trust in me?"

With a sneer, Sasori glared at Naruto, then at Itachi, before pushing past the group and exiting the building with a slam of the door.

Itachi sighed, then dismissed everyone before bidding Naruto to follow him. The blond complied, quietly keeping his distance as they went upstairs. The others stared openly at him, some losing interest in seconds and returning their focus on maintaining their swords and knives.

They stopped in what looked like Itachi's bedroom, which was a small room with just a bed, a small dresser, and a desk and chair. The decor in here was much different than what Naruto was used to. He waited at the entrance of the room while Itachi rummaged through his things, retrieving a dry set of clothes and a towel.

"Here, you'll catch a cold if you don't dry off. Come in and change; I have a few questions I would like to ask you."

Naruto thanked him and took the dry items, stepping in the room to allow for Itachi to shut the door. The other sat on his bed, keeping his gaze on the blond. Unabashedly, Naruto took off his soaked kimono and laid it along the back of the desk chair.

"Why do you believe me?"

Itachi was now lying on the bed, his back towards Naruto, when he replied, "Because it's the only thing I've heard about my brother in years. And I'm ready to believe that he's still alive."

Naruto then peeled off his wet underwear and dried himself off as thoroughly as he could.

"So Sasuke is your brother...When was the last time you saw him?"

The other turned around to look at Naruto, who was still in the middle of changing, "I've never met him nor my mother. I don't even think my father ever met him, either. But he told me one day my mother sent word to him about the child. He didn't even know she was pregnant."

The blond watched silently as Itachi sat up on his bed, eyes cast downward in a forlorn expression. His finger was idly tracing a pattern on the bed.

"I'm sorry," Naruto said quietly.

Itachi shook his head, either dismissing the apology or shaking off the feeling that was obviously weighing down on him.

"I'm sorry we put you through all that. I called you a potential ally because when I first met you, I thought you would be sympathetic to our cause," Itachi said as he got up from the bed.

"Your cause?"

The other nodded and said, "Yes. Most of us are elves here, hiding out in-between recruiting revolutionaries and rescuing victims, whether from their masters or brothels."

"Are you an elf?"

Itachi automatically tucked his hair behind his ear.

"Funny, isn't it? How we're discriminated against just because of the shape of our ears. Did you believe me to be a human? All it took was surgery and a few weeks of healing. Now, I can walk about as freely as I wish."

The blond feel something strange churn in his stomach as he looked closer at the other's ear. Itachi had a point, though Naruto wasn't sure if he could ever go through with what was probably a painful process. But the result was freedom…right?

Itachi didn't seem moved by the strange look Naruto was giving him.

"When Sasori told me you were the one they described in the recon reports, walking with an elf who matched Sasuke's profile," Itachi continued, "I don't know. I just...lost it. Maybe Sasori's right. I'm letting my passion cloud my judgment. I don't even know what Sasuke looks like, and here I am clinging to the hope that you are the key to finding him."

Naruto replied quietly, "If you'll let me help you, we can find him together."

There was a look of relief as Itachi let out a half-laugh, half-sigh, "What… what does he look like, Naruto?"

An image of Sasuke's face projected in his mind, and Naruto felt his stomach wrench as he described him.

"Very much like you, except...more naive, I think. He's got bright, wide, dark eyes that pierce your soul with a sort of innocence that you obsess to protect- long eyelashes. Smooth, pale skin, but not sickly. Lips as full and colored like nobody you've ever seen."

Itachi was looking at him intently, latching on to his every word.

"And? What is his personality like?"

Naruto smiled as he recalled, "A little shy, but curious about the world around him. He's very kind, caring, and sweet. But," he paused as his smile faltered, "he's also been through a lot. His first master was not kind, and he was sold and returned many times to a heartless trader before I got him."

The other nodded slowly, letting it all sink in before he clenched his hands into fists.

"And what now? You mentioned a trade convoy. Do you believe he was being transported to be sold?"

The blond sighed, the conversation becoming tense, "Yes, that's what I believe. It's probably well into Lightning Country right now, but if we try to find out the route they took, we might be able to find out where Sasuke is if he was offloaded somewhere along the way."

Itachi stared hard out the window, his stony eyes concentrated as his mind worked. He was unmoving, save for the occasional pursing of the lips and furrowing of the brow. Naruto remained silent, waiting for his companion to speak.

"Okay, if this convoy is heading to Lightning Country, then there are really only a few routes they could have taken. I'll start getting the others to find out what they can, and hopefully we can leave tomorrow morning for the next town they stopped at."

At the declaration of their next steps, Naruto felt his heart lighten. He had found Sasuke's brother. Imagine that! But Naruto was still undoubtedly carrying a heavy heart at the thought that Sasuke could be _anywhere_ by now. And even worse yet (the blond refused to think of this), Sasuke might not even be _alive_.

That night, Naruto barely got any sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>So there you have it! I seriously have no idea how many more chapters exist, but I always seem to manage to write some horrible, horrible plot twist or delve deeper into a character than intended. I want to say how sorry I am again for leaving this untouched for so long.

Hopefully by the time I update next (which will be much sooner- I promise!), I'll have a clearer idea of how the story will end. Thanks everyone for sticking through with this.

With love,  
><em>Char<em>


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